Tim’s Reviews > The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature > Status Update

"That mentality cannot coexist with an esteem for the truth and I believe is responsible for some of the unfortunate trends in recent intellectual life... The inevitable reaction: a culture of 'politically incorrect' shock jocks who revel in anti-intellectualism & bigotry, emboldened by the knowledge that the intellectual establishment has forfeited credibility in the eyes of the public" 2002 Pinker

"The denial of human nature has spread beyond the academy and has led to a disconnect between intellectual life and common sense... The Problem is not just that claims are preposterous but that writers did not acknowledge they were saying things that common sense might call into question. This is the mentality of a cult, in which fantastical beliefs are flaunted as proof of one's piety"