In the past century many people have assumed that we are shaped by our environment: a blank slate waiting to be inscribed by upbringing and culture, with innate... » 

In the past century many people have assumed that we are shaped by our environment: a blank slate waiting to be inscribed by upbringing and culture, with innate abilities playing little part. Pinker shows that this view denies the heart of our being: human nature. We are prepared for sex, aggression and jealousy -and also love, compassion and reason. To acknowledge our nature, Pinker shows, is ultimately to understand the very foundations of humanity. «