Midterm Question 7

Just as Pinker critiques the Blank Slate as “how can we do anything if nothing’s there,” his critics might reverse it on him and say “how can we attribute everything to genetics.” Where does nurture fit in? How can you explain the affects of abuse or trauma with genetics? Sure you could suggest that the person is epigenetically predisposed to have a psychological disorder, but what about the people who aren’t? What about an average Joe, who doesn’t have any history of any problems amongst any of his relatives, who is walking the streets of New York when the planes hit the towers? He develops PTSD from the trauma he was exposed to that day.
If we’re not all blank slates, that means that genetically some people are better than others, that we aren’t all equal. A critic could say that Pinker is using biology as justification for prejudice.
If we’re not blank slates, our genes map out our behavior and lives. Then how can we explain changes in people if Pinker writes that a person’s nature is unchanging (criminals turned into Born Again Christians)?
If we can attribute everything we do to our biology, how can we find a person guilty of a crime? Blame it on their biology? What’s the point of prison or correctional facilities if the person isn’t going to change?
Do we even have free will if our biologies are what control us?