Nature or nurture? It is obvious to most people with even a brief understanding of the science that we are a complex combination of the two. Pinker sets out the evidence here that nature is far more compelling than most of us realise and it is difficult not to agree with him.

What really stood out for me from the book was the political implications of the discussion.

On one side if we are largely creatures of nature, genetically determined, then intellectual attempts to change as are somewhat futile. We would agree with the right that people are primarily motivated by their own selfishness and design systems which accept this as true. 

On the other side, if we are largely creatures of nurture, we are free to recreate ourselves in whatever image we wish.  Via education and culture, we can make whatever arbitrary and hopefully better version of ourselves which we can conceive.

In some ways, the hope of the world lies in this latter vision, but Pinker sets out just how much we are chained by our genetic inheritance.

I think this is an important discussion and it very much left me convinced of the need to understand where people are, before trying to take them somewhere new.

As with all of Pinker's books, thoroughly well researched and thought through. Do you brain a favour and read it.