Listen free for 30 days
-
The Blank Slate
- The Modern Denial of Human Nature
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 22 hrs and 40 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $28.92
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
You may also enjoy...
-
The Better Angels of Our Nature
- Why Violence Has Declined
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence.
-
-
Better read than listened to
- By Mike Reiter on 2018-01-02
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
The Stuff of Thought
- Language as a Window into Human Nature
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Dean Olsher
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker marries two of the subjects he knows best: language and human nature. The result is a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. What does swearing reveal about our emotions? Why does innuendo disclose something about relationships? Pinker reveals how our use of prepositions and tenses taps into peculiarly human concepts of space and time, and how our nouns and verbs speak to our notions of matter.
-
-
It’s not in Steven Pinkers written words
- By Lory Nixon on 2019-05-05
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
Rationality
- What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 21st century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that developed vaccines for COVID-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing? Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are an irrational species - cavemen out of time saddled with biases, fallacies, and illusions.
-
-
Dull and Underwhelming .
- By Kindle Customer on 2021-10-21
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
How the Mind Works
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this delightful, acclaimed bestseller, one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational—and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness?
-
-
great, but slow at times
- By ben kuzmich on 2018-07-07
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
The Nurture Assumption
- Written by: Judith Rich Harris
- Narrated by: Paula Parker
- Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What makes children turn out the way they do? Why is it that good parents don't always turn out good kids? Judith Rich Harris questions the assumption that nurture is the crucial factor. Using examples from folklore, literature, and scientific research, Harris puts forth the electrifying theory that children aren't socialized by their parents, they're socialized by other children. It is what happens outside the home, while kids are in the company of their peers, that matters most.
Written by: Judith Rich Harris
-
A Human History of Emotion
- How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know
- Written by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
- Narrated by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A Human History of Emotion, Richard Firth-Godbehere takes listeners on a fascinating and wide ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history — from Ancient Greece to Gambia, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, the United States, and beyond.
-
-
changed how i saw the world
- By Anonymous User on 2022-11-09
Written by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
-
The Better Angels of Our Nature
- Why Violence Has Declined
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence.
-
-
Better read than listened to
- By Mike Reiter on 2018-01-02
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
The Stuff of Thought
- Language as a Window into Human Nature
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Dean Olsher
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker marries two of the subjects he knows best: language and human nature. The result is a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. What does swearing reveal about our emotions? Why does innuendo disclose something about relationships? Pinker reveals how our use of prepositions and tenses taps into peculiarly human concepts of space and time, and how our nouns and verbs speak to our notions of matter.
-
-
It’s not in Steven Pinkers written words
- By Lory Nixon on 2019-05-05
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
Rationality
- What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 21st century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that developed vaccines for COVID-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing? Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are an irrational species - cavemen out of time saddled with biases, fallacies, and illusions.
-
-
Dull and Underwhelming .
- By Kindle Customer on 2021-10-21
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
How the Mind Works
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this delightful, acclaimed bestseller, one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational—and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness?
-
-
great, but slow at times
- By ben kuzmich on 2018-07-07
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
The Nurture Assumption
- Written by: Judith Rich Harris
- Narrated by: Paula Parker
- Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What makes children turn out the way they do? Why is it that good parents don't always turn out good kids? Judith Rich Harris questions the assumption that nurture is the crucial factor. Using examples from folklore, literature, and scientific research, Harris puts forth the electrifying theory that children aren't socialized by their parents, they're socialized by other children. It is what happens outside the home, while kids are in the company of their peers, that matters most.
Written by: Judith Rich Harris
-
A Human History of Emotion
- How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know
- Written by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
- Narrated by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In A Human History of Emotion, Richard Firth-Godbehere takes listeners on a fascinating and wide ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history — from Ancient Greece to Gambia, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, the United States, and beyond.
-
-
changed how i saw the world
- By Anonymous User on 2022-11-09
Written by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
-
The Language Instinct
- How the Mind Creates Language
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this classic, the world’s expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association....
-
-
Fantastic! ...but not as an audiobook.
- By Alexandre L'Écuyer on 2019-06-26
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
Think with Pinker
- How to Be a Better Critical Thinker
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Steven Pinker, Various, Tim Harford, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Highlights
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cognitive scientist Professor Steven Pinker has spent his life thinking about thinking, and now he wants us to join him. With the aid of his critical thinking toolkit, he hopes to help us make smarter choices, become more rational, gain a greater understanding of the confused world we live in—and maybe even become better citizens. In this fascinating series, produced in partnership with the Open University, he examines the different ways the human brain can be tripped up, from understanding probability to the difference between correlation and causation.
-
-
Disappointing list of topics and depth
- By Anton Vikoch on 2022-12-29
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
The Selfish Gene
- Written by: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
-
Life changing book
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-07-25
Written by: Richard Dawkins
-
The Righteous Mind
- Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
- Written by: Jonathan Haidt
- Narrated by: Jonathan Haidt
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding. His starting point is moral intuition - the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are wrong. Haidt shows us how these intuitions differ across cultures, including the cultures of the political left and right.
-
-
Interesting listen, repetitive
- By Pablo on 2018-06-30
Written by: Jonathan Haidt
-
Duped
- Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception
- Written by: Timothy R. Levine
- Narrated by: Scott R. Pollak
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy R. Levine’s Duped: Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception recounts a decades-long program of empirical research that culminates in a new theory of deception - truth-default theory. Levine’s research on lie detection and truth-bias has produced many provocative new findings over the years. He has uncovered what makes some people more believable than others and has discovered several ways to improve lie-detection accuracy.
-
-
More potential as a hard copy book than in audible
- By G A Strong on 2023-06-06
Written by: Timothy R. Levine
-
Enlightenment Now
- The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? In this elegant assessment of the human condition in the third millennium, cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, which play to our psychological biases. Instead, follow the data: Pinker shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West but worldwide.
-
-
Intellectual optimistic Steven Pinker did it again
- By Justin Greeno on 2018-04-07
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
Manufacturing Consent
- The Political Economy of the Mass Media
- Written by: Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this pathbreaking work, now with a new introduction, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky show that, contrary to the usual image of the news media as cantankerous, obstinate, and ubiquitous in their search for truth and defense of justice, in their actual practice they defend the economic, social, and political agendas of the privileged groups that dominate domestic society, the state, and the global order.
-
-
Chomsky is a genius.
- By Martha Parada on 2018-04-16
Written by: Edward S. Herman, and others
-
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain
- Written by: Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Narrated by: Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wondered why you have a brain? Let renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett demystify that big gray blob between your ears. In seven short essays (plus a bite-sized story about how brains evolved), this slim, entertaining, and accessible collection reveals mind-expanding lessons from the front lines of neuroscience research. You'll learn where brains came from, how they're structured (and why it matters), and how yours works in tandem with other brains to create everything you experience.
-
-
Scientific and Uplifting
- By Anonymous User on 2021-04-19
Written by: Lisa Feldman Barrett
-
Making Sense
- Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity
- Written by: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris, David Chalmers, David Deutsch, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sam Harris—neuroscientist, philosopher, and bestselling author—has been exploring some of the most important questions about the human mind, society, and current events on his podcast, Making Sense. For Harris, honest conversation, no matter how difficult or controversial, represents the only path to moral and intellectual progress. This audiobook includes talks with Daniel Kahneman, Timothy Snyder, Nick Bostrom, and Glen Loury, on topics that range from the nature of consciousness and free will, to politics and extremism, to living ethically.
-
-
Great Guests from the Podcast
- By Dad, fitness enthusiast, digital media guy on 2022-07-13
Written by: Sam Harris
-
Nudge: The Final Edition
- Improving Decisions About Money, Health, and the Environment
- Written by: Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the original publication of Nudge more than a decade ago, the title has entered the vocabulary of businesspeople, policy makers, engaged citizens, and consumers everywhere. The book has given rise to more than 200 "nudge units" in governments around the world and countless groups of behavioral scientists in every part of the economy. It has taught us how to use thoughtful "choice architecture" - a concept the authors invented - to help us make better decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society.
-
-
Nudge for Good!
- By Rebecca on 2023-07-23
Written by: Richard H. Thaler, and others
-
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
- Written by: Thomas Piketty, Arthur Goldhammer - translator
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 24 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of political economy. But satisfactory answers have been hard to find for lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories.
-
-
Life-altering, fantastic
- By Stu B. on 2019-07-31
Written by: Thomas Piketty, and others
-
The Paradox of Choice
- Why More is Less
- Written by: Barry Schwartz
- Narrated by: Ken Kliban
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.
-
-
Find a summary article instead
- By Nathan Lamont on 2020-01-29
Written by: Barry Schwartz
Publisher's Summary
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits - a doctrine held by many intellectuals during the past century - denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts.
Injecting calm and rationality into debates that are notorious for ax-grinding and mud-slinging, Pinker shows the importance of an honest acknowledgment of human nature based on science and common sense.
NOTE: Some changes to the original text have been made with the author's approval.
What the critics say
More from the same
Narrator:
What listeners say about The Blank Slate
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vladimir Druts
- 2018-03-10
Pinker is an intellectual Perseus.
Pinker is a modern day intellectual Perseus.
Not only is Pinker a strong writer; clear, concise and probing, he is masterful at the utilization of history to build strong and intriguing premises.
His breadth of knowledge of the world, philosophy and science, and his fascination with other important subjects outside of his main discipline make for a colorful and harrowing journey through time.
A wonderful reading of a true intellectual renaissance man.
In today's culture of extremes and group-think this book is a true beacon of light.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Zane Gates
- 2022-01-25
Thorough
Very thoroughly researched and written book. The subject matter of the book is basically in line with the type of insight/revelation/epiphany that one is likely to experience during a psychedelic trip. It's about some universal truths in the "nature of things" that can be easily felt on an intuitive level yet difficult to explain articulately. This book puts it all together in a succinct format. I don't imagine this is the type of book designed to change anyone's mind, but rather help you explain your position more accurately when you encounter people with silly beliefs about what we can change in our world.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anton
- 2018-09-14
Very insightfult
This book provided a lot of unexpected ideas backed up by research data.
Listening to this recording made me feel calmer, more comfortable and honest about being myself: a mortal, scared, imperfect, doubtful and skeptical human being. In some cases I could say that a veil was lifted from my eyes, and I could see the world around me clearly.
Some thoughts and feelings that were lingering in the back for of my mind for years suddenly found nice and eloquent expression on the pages of this book.
#Audible1
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
- Stéphane
- 2018-10-27
Fascinating study of human cognition
This book covers in very extensive and nuanced details how genetic factors may play a role in how we behave. Pinker makes no simllistic assertions here: genes play games and the emerging strategies express themselves as emotions, reflexes, biases, etc., all of which are susceptible of interaction with each other and the world, both physical and social.
Of all possible priors, assuming human behavior, cognition and psychology is biologically unbounded is at one extreme of an entire spectrum of possibilities. Pinker suggests the appeal of this idea might have grown out of horror for Nazi Germany and, indeed, nothing more explicitely emboddies disgusting human tendencies than Nazism. You want to flee far from that -- and the blank slate is as far as you can conceptually flee.
It is a great read for anyone interested in human behavior, though it curiously seems political in this day and age.
As far as I can tell, knowing how we behave is the best way to design successful solutions to our problems -- and Pinker once again puts his finger on a bleeding wound.
The nicest part about Pinker is that he leans relatively leftward, technically does study humanities and social sciences and is a college professor: it is hard to paint him genuinely in a bad light as he is commenting about his own circles.
It is a great read, even if you aren't interested in the problems that emerged recently on college campuses. How he ties biology to behavior is a very good and rather simple summary of scientific research. He also takes the time to explain the details of how we reach conclusions, so you get to understand the most important aspect of science: which questions to ask.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kevin A. Hodgins
- 2019-06-01
The current state of,… History, and Future, of Human Behavior - Explained!!! 🤯
While I am normally full of all sorts of remarks and unique anecdotes… Writing this review has perplexed me for the last hour – how to describe this book…? Words simply do not do justice to, nor can they describe, the importance and the impact of, the hidden truths so eloquently researched and described in this book. Not knowing this information will be perilous to your own personal, as well as your family genetics, survival... 😱
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Blue Bonobo
- 2022-12-01
Classic
Many mistakes are avoidable with a coherent understanding of human nature. This book is a must-read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jon Cleveland
- 2021-07-16
used to love it but feels dated
2nd time going through this one. really enjoyed it when it came out. now I feel it to be a dated shot fired in the culture wars saga. When data is used its used well but after an anecdote or personal opinion your back to the same ol straw men and personal assumptions. its mostly just an opinion piece fortified by the odd study here and there to bolster it. many big claims not enough evidence.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karen
- 2019-05-22
Couldn't finish it
I've read other books by Steven Pinker that I've thoroughly enjoyed, such as The Language Instinct and The Better Angels of Iur Nature but I couldn't get through this one. I just didn't find it interesting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!