I’ve been reading Steven Pinker lately, and his new book The Blank Slate has just arrived. In The Blank Slate Pinker takes on three “myths”: the blank slate, the noble savage, and the ghost in the machine. I think the implications of his research, and his writing for laypeople, are profound for economics and the importance of human nature. The most recent Reason magazine has a really, really good interview with Pinker, in which he discusses his new book and other important issues. I recommend the interview, and Pinker’s writings, highly. He’ll make you stop and think.