My Book Reviews: Pt5
I wanted to publish some book reviews.
I have so many book reviews on my Instagram page: @jakubreads
So, I thought I’d publish some on my Medium … cause why not?
My previous post in this series:
Hitch 22: A Memoir, Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens is one of those individuals that has his hands in everything. He is an incomparable journalist that his written about everything from history, feminism, political correctness, comedy, religion, politics, philosophy, and so much more. I have his collection of essays, “Arguably” and I have to say that there are few essays around today that are so organic & lyrical. Hitchens in that regard could be more difficult to read than the straightforward non-fiction writers around today. Nonetheless, he was a genius and his legacy carries on through books like this, his memoir.
The Four Horsemen: Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins, and Dennett
Those familiar with the “Four Horsemen” will know that they have a bad rep for being too critical of Religion. They sparked the so called “New Atheist” movement along with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Dan Barker, Lawrence Krauss, and others. The Four Horsemen have, however, all sat down together only once and that was in Washington, DC, in Hitchens’ flat. This is that conversation recently put into print (2019). I was familiar with the conversation because it’s on YouTube but I had to get a transcript nonetheless and so I dived into it once my semester was done.
Stephen Fry writes the forward, reminiscing on Hitchens and commenting on what being vocal against organized Religion gave to culture. After Fry’s warm & lyrical opening it includes a quick introduction from three of the four (excluding Hitchens due to his passing).
After these pleasantries, the conversation unravels. It is light, refreshing, filled with humor, and an impressive understanding of science, theology, and philosophy. Nothing we shouldn’t expect from some of the leading figures in their respective fields.
A topic that kept recurring was the focus on what philosophers of science have described as the difficulty of defining facts, since they should always be open to error, if they are true (Falsifiability, Karl Popper). They also address indirectly ridding people of meaning, smart theists (think Francis Collins & John C. Lennox), Buddhism, Islam, & so much more. All the good stuff.
The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker is a scholar that never fails to impress. He’s one of a kind. I honestly cannot imagine how much work books like this monstrous volume take to publish, yet here he is publishing works like this every two years, or so. With over 30 books published, I can picture that he has very little free time.
The Blank Slate is a great literary, scientific, & philosophical achievement. This is as good at is gets when it comes to sitting down & writing non-fiction. The topic may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it has long been discussed from Locke, Rosseau, Hobbes, to Richard Dawkins (in the “Selfish Gene”) and Yuval Noah Harari more recently in “Homo Deus”, among many others.
Pinker explains how modern intellectual movements have wrongly embraced Locke’s conception of the tabula rasa, or “blank slate.” He says that intellectuals have linked three dogmas with human nature: (1) the mind does not have innate traits (the Blank Slate), (2) the Noble Savage (people are corrupted by society and born good), & (3) everyone makes choices separate from their biological inclinations (the Ghost in the Machine).
Some of his conclusions are that we are neither blank slates, nor completely modified by our early environments. He discusses the literature extensively, tying in evolutionary psychology with neuroscience, linguistics, and biology. His understanding is, needless to say, astonishing.
Crisp, clear, & comprehensive. A fantastic volume.
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All the best.
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I write to keep you thinking and to keep me thankful and reflective. Cheers and until next time,
keep reflecting.
