Recently many people have assumed that we are shaped by our environment: a blank slate waiting to be inscribed by upbringing and culture, with innate abilities playing little part. This title shows that this view denies the heart of our being: human nature.

'A passionate defence of the enduring power of human nature ... both life-affirming and deeply satisfying' Daily Telegraph

Recently many people have assumed that we are blank slates shaped by our environment. But this denies the heart of our being: human nature. Violence is not just a product of society; male and female minds are different; the genes we give our children shape them more than our parenting practices. To acknowledge our innate abilities, Pinker shows, is not to condone inequality, but to understand the very foundations of humanity.

'Brilliant ... enjoyable, informative, clear, humane' New Scientist

'If you think the nature-nurture debate has been resolved, you are wrong ... this book is required reading' Literary Review

'An original and vital contribution to science and also a rattling good read' Matt Ridley, Sunday Telegraph

'Startling ... This is a breath of air for a topic that has been politicized for too long' Economist