Steven Pinker - A Scholar and a Gentleman

I read a review of Steven Pinker's latest book "The Blank Slate". In it he describes the three "myths" about the human mind which he wishes to dispel. At his web site:
the review says:



"In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, bestselling author of The Language Instinct
and How the Mind Works, explores the idea of human nature and its moral,
emotional, and political colorings. He shows how many intellectuals have denied
the existence of human nature by embracing three linked dogmas:
The Blank Slate (the mind has no innate traits), The Noble Savage
(people are born good and corrupted by society), and The Ghost in the Machine
(each of us has a soul that makes choices free from biology). Each dogma carries
a moral burden, so their defenders have engaged in the desperate tactics to
discredit the scientists who are now challenging them."



I was curious about Steven Pinker's views regarding Philospher David Chalmers' views on the mind and consciousness, so I wrote and asked whether he felt Chalmers' views were a form of the "Ghost in the Machine" idea.

I was amazed that he actually responded to me, and for that I am grateful that he took the time out to give a real reply to my question (instead of, say, just an automated "we'll get back to you" message.

Thanks Mr Pinker, you are not only a scholar, but a gentleman.