Talks Steven Pinker: Chalking it up to the blank slate

Download this talk

Share this talk

Discuss this talk: Chalking it up to the blank slate ( Steven Pinker )

About this talk

Steven Pinker's book The Blank Slate argues that all humans are born with some innate traits. Here, Pinker talks about his thesis, and why some people found it incredibly upsetting.

About Steven Pinker

Linguist Steven Pinker questions the very nature of our thoughts -- the way we use words, how we learn, and how we relate to others. In his best-selling books, he has brought sophisticated… Full bio and more links

Other talks from "How We Learn"

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
Length: 19:29
Filmed: Feb 2006
Posted: Jun 2006
Susan Savage-Rumbaugh on apes that write
Length: 17:37
Filmed: Feb 2004
Posted: Apr 2007
Jonathan Haidt on the moral roots of liberals and conservatives
Length: 18:42
Filmed: Mar 2008
Posted: Sep 2008
Phil Borges on endangered cultures
Length: 19:19
Filmed: Feb 2006
Posted: Jan 2007
Erin McKean redefines the dictionary
Length: 16:02
Filmed: Mar 2007
Posted: Aug 2007
Philip Zimbardo shows how people become monsters ... or heroes
Length: 23:10
Filmed: Feb 2008
Posted: Sep 2008

Related themes

Related tags

Share this talk

TED's mission is to spread ideas, and we encourage you to share these talks widely: Email them; link to them; embed them in your website; show them in your classroom; discuss them at a salon... All our videos are distributed under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely played and reposted (so long as you follow certain guidelines).