Not so fast, Mr. Pinker: A Behaviorist Looks at the Blank Slate. A Review of Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

Behavior and Social Issues, Fall 2002 by Schliger, Henry D

2002, New York: Viking. ISBN 0670031518. 528 pp. $27.95.

Stephen Pinker's latest book, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, is getting a lot of press. But Pinker's claims of human nature hinge in large part on providing evidence of its "modern denial." Toward that end he singles out behavioral psychology as one of the purveyors of the blank slate position. If the book is judged on how accurately he makes the case, then it doesn't fare too well.

First of all, those interested in how well Pinker succeeds in making his argument for human nature are encouraged to read behavioral biologist Patrick Bateson's scathing review in Science (September, 2002). Bateson takes Pinker to task for reviving the "wearisome" nature-nurture debate and writes that, "Saloon-bar assertions do not lead to the balanced discussion that should be generated on a topic as important as this one." Bateson even questions the central assumption of Pinker's title, namely that human nature is still routinely denied. And he cautions that all examples of behaviors that benefit individuals in the modern world are not necessarily products of evolution. As numerous scientists have pointed out, patterns of behavior that seem to be adaptive may be so because they were selected in our evolutionary history or in individuals' own lifetimes by learning experiences. Bateson also accuses Pinker of simplistic assumptions regarding the role of genes in determining behavior.

But the criticisms of Pinker's book can and should go beyond even that. For my part, I want to concentrate on Pinker's treatment of behavioral psychology and its two most notable spokespersons, John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner.

PINKER'S POLITICS

To begin with, it should be noted that although Pinker is a skilled writer, the writing in this book is often sensational and combative and certainly not modest. For example, he writes that his book can "offer a touchstone by which we can identify suffering and oppression . . . unmasking the rationalizations of the powerful." It is in this context that the reader encounters behaviorism and Watson and Skinner.

Pinker writes that, "It's not just behaviorists and Stalinists who forgot that a denial of human nature may have costs in freedom and happiness" (p. 177). Elsewhere, he refers to B. F. Skinner as "ever the Maoist . . ." and compares some of Skinner's ideas to those inherent in totalitarian fascist and communist systems. Pinker cites Skinner's biggest detractor, Noam Chomsky, when he writes that, "no one doubts that behavior can be controlled, putting a gun to someone's head or threatening him with torture are time-honored techniques" (p. 169).

These are the words of a polemicist. It's is incongruous for Pinker to assert the objectivity of science and then associate Stalin, Mao, totalitarianism, and torture with an American psychologist who because of his contributions to improving the lives of so many, was given the International Award of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation for Mental Retardation in 1971 and the Humanist of the Year Award from the American Humanist Society in 1972.

Behaviorists (nowadays called behavior analysts) have for decades successfully helped children with various learning and behavior problems to lead happier, more fulfilled lives. Does Pinker really mean to imply that, for example, children with autism, many of whom have literally been saved from horrible lives of institutionalization by programs of applied behavior analysis which grew directly out of the work of Skinner and others, are being oppressed by those who help them? Is applied behavior analysis totalitarianism in the guise of genuine service?

As Bateson (2002) notes, Pinker's "misplaced combative style" does a disservice to his own goals, not to mention the good work of others. In any case, although Pinker claims his book is not political, many of the topics addressed are not scientific but highly charged philosophical and political issues. Words like "Stalinists," "Marxists," and "totalitarianism" are emotionally laden political terms that do not serve any scientific point Pinker wants to make.

Pinker has obviously got an ax to grind. His slant on these issues is infused with personal, ad hominem attacks on others. The irony is that a look at Pinker's curriculum vitae (see http://www.mit.edu/~pinker/cv.html) reveals no experimental work that is relevant to this topic. Compare that to B. F. Skinner's corpus of experimental work on basic learning principles that provided the foundation for thousands of experiments by hundreds of others over the past 70 years. That work, in turn, has expanded into a general scientific theory of behavior, and spawned numerous therapeutic and educational applications that have helped thousands of people all over the world. Such achievements earned Skinner the National Medal of Science in 1968 and the first American Psychological Association Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology in 1991.

PINKER'S FACTS