/lit/ - Literature

The more I read Pinker, the more I think he's a genius. Why does /lit/ dislike him so much?

>>11665353

>>10849746

I only read The Blank Slate ages ago and liked it. Now it seems like he's trying to assuage liberals feeling the heat from recent developments.

>>10599782
Gender is a construct but it's a small part of motivation and behaviour, and one shaped by biology at that.

People who say "gender is a construct" also believe in a blank state view of human nature that is unsupported by science or common sense.

So the arguments you are looking for are arguments against the blank state model (see pic related if you need help).

>>9913567
>The psychological consensus among psychologists is that opinions and ideas can't be influenced and exploited?
The psychological consensus is that there are inherent psychological structures that orient people towards specific actions. If thoughts are cars, then the inherent psychological structures are roads: you can veer off in different directions, but you're still relegated to a small percentage of possible terrain.

>What do you think culture is, according to Foucault?
He views customs and traditions only through the prism of who they confers power to. Biology doesn't play a role in his epistemological framework.

>There are countless books that, just like you, apply extreme reductionism to epistemological questions?
Foucault is the extreme reductionist. Like I said, biology doesn't really enter his epistemological framework, while i'm perfectly willing to acknowledge the role that culture plays in the establishment of systems of domination.

>Also your willingness to mention a field of study but no scholar in particular, even when the problem at hand is extremely specific, makes me think that you don't really know anything about what you're supporting and what you're criticizing.
Now you're just being a sanctimonious prick. Start with pic related, then dive into his citations.