what I'm reading.

I'm presently reading Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate. Talk about a fascinating read. The book is a philosophical, medical, scientific and ontological take down of the modern notion of perfectable man as presented through the Blank Slate, the Noble Savage and the Ghost in the Machine. (I've discussed the beauty of the story of original sin in previous posts and the pitfalls of denying man's fallen nature).
His thoughts are clear and concise and he doesn't allow the fact that man has an immutable nature allow him to despair at the horribleness of our condition or to use nature as an excuse for our actions. He rightfully excoriates modern intellectuals, especially those in academia for politicizing thought and morality. He also has plenty of disdain to spread around both the right and the left, though one feels that his true bone to pick is with Marxists and post-modernists. The book also resuscitates the philosophy of Hobbes and demonstrates that Hobbes, as dour as he was, was not a nihilist and perhaps provided the best manner of controlling man's inherent dark side. Pinker brings up the fascinating point that the founding father were heavily influenced by Hobbes as opposed to Rousseau (who influenced the French Revolution) with the inherent consequences readily apparent to all.
One question remained from the book and I don't think that he adequately explained himself and that is one of morality. Pinker denies the existence of a God who laid down laws for man to follow (whether he is right or not is immaterial), but states that a deity is not important for devoloping a morality. That may be well and true, but he never explicitly states how. Whether he believes, like Christopher Hitchens, that we may develop a morality through literature (a claim of which I am highly dubious) or what, he never fully explains. Perhaps he delves deeper in other books. I don't know. Still the book has challenged many of my pre-existing thoughts, reinforced others (especially concerning the dreadfullness of Modern (as opposed to simply modern) art and architecture and provoked a deeper understanding of this tragic and beautiful animal we call man. Recommended for all with a curiosity about human nature and society.