Selma wrote: I thought this review might be of interest to the list. I thought the closing comment about Pinker's "compassionate conservatism" was interesting.
'The Blank Slate': The Evolutionary War October 13, 2002 By ROBERT J. RICHARDS In proposing a genetic version of human nature, Steven Pinker takes on Stephen Jay Gould and others. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/13/books/review/13RICHART.html?ex=1035431453&; ei=1&en=946502dc522b7fc6 Selma, I enjoyed that book review, thanks for posting it. Here is something I just ran across that may or may not just be more publicity hyping book sales: email discussion debating whether happiness is genetic, via slate.com between the author and Martin Seligman (Fox Professor of Psychology at the Univ of Pennsylvania, former president of the American Psychological Association, and author of Authentic Happiness.), so they tell me. It looks like it's moderated or opened by Robert Wright. For those who may STILL be interested go to http://slate.msn.com/?id=2072079&entry=2072402 Pretty soon I will have read enough book reviews and FW comments that I won't have to read the new book. I am so far behind.... Has anyone on the list read Ian Tattersall's Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness? I picked it up after reading excerpts in Scientific American, I think. Karen Watters Cole East of Portland, West of Mt. Hood Outgoing Mail Scanned by NAV 2002
