Letters to the Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR able. However, it is important to bear in text of the book itself, though not in this par- mind that many important aspects of this ticular excerpt. issue, as manifested in the various relevant disciplines, remain subject to debate (as I am sure Pinker would cheerfully admit). For A gnawing weakness in Pinker's SKEPTICAL instance, by no means all linguists accept INQUIRER article and in his book The Blank that the language faculty is as "hard-wired" Slate is the absence of a working definition of as has widely been proposed. Geoffrey "human nature." Pinker argues for scientific Sampson's is perhaps the best-known of a set objectivity, yet nowhere does he provide a of very different alternative interpretations of clear description of the concept of human the linguistic evidence. nature per sc except for anecdotes sprinkled throughout his article and book. Without an Mark Newbrook operational definition of this key concept, Linguistics, Monash University/ meaningful analysis of the blank slate University of Sheffield assumption is difficult at best. United Kingdom I am reminded of the early "sensory deprivation" studies which showed the crip- I agree with Pinker's message, yet am sur- pling (though temporary) effects on intelli- prised that he made no reference to E.O. gence of even short periods (24 hours) in Wilson. I have not read Pinker's book, so do which human volunteers lived in experimen- not know if he mentions Wilson there, but tal chambers void of normal visual, auditory, reference to a pioneer of the ideas expressed and tactile stimulation. Where was their The Blank Slate by Pinker would seem appropriate. "human nature" when significant portions of As I recall, my first exposure to Wilson's the normal environment were removed? And then there is the work of Rosenzweig et al. I read die excerpt from Steven Pinker's The ideas was from a piece in BioScience (1972). (1972) published in Scientific American Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human At first 1 thought that everyone should agree Nature (March/April 2003) not merely with with what he said, but soon, to my surprise, which showed that in rats' brain chemistry pleasure, but with some surprise. I had not there was a firestorm of protest. As anyone and structure were altered as a function of realized that advocacy of human nature was interested in this subject should know, Wilson early experience. Yet if I asserted that "rat still so politically incorrect. I had the great spent much of the next thirty years success- nature" should be acknowledged before good fortune to attend a class given by fully defending and developing his ideas. emphasizing variations in behavior due to Randy Thornhill at the University of New Pinker says that some people think that environmental experience alone, then I Mexico a few years ago, so the concepts that the issues of nurture/nature make little differ- would and should be criticized for not defin- Pinker sets forth seem neither revolutionary ence, but he correctly maintains otherwise. I ing "rat nature" explicitly. nor uncomfortable. It is saddening to be believe that Wilson, in Consilience, made that An appendix at the end of Pinker's book reminded yet again how far outside the point very strongly by using the example of includes "Donald E. Brown's List of Human mainstream this kind of thinking is. the two most totalitarian systems of the last Universals" (pp. 435-439). This list consists century. They were based on the two extremes When the intelligentsia were forced to of over 350 traits such as "baby talk," "con- of this issue. One, Soviet Communism, oper- accept evolution, they were forced to accept flict," "semantics," "shame," etc., which, ac- ated on the assumption that people's nature our essential animality. Do you suppose diat cording to Brown, ethnographers cite as could be totally controlled by the environ- they needed some ideological lever with human surface traits. At best Pinker may be ment. The other, German Nazism, operated which to elevate themselves above the birds telling us that Brown's listing represents a on the assumption that there are such extreme and beasts? The notion of the blank slate conceptual net around which the concept of genetic differences among various groups that filled die void admirably. It's ironic that this human nature may be located, yet such a killing all the members of those "genetically new dogma, a notion that is supposed to ele- transformation misses the essence of an oper- defective" groups was justified. It seems that vate us, is by its nature a denial of our essen- ational definition. this is the strongest argument of all that what tial humanity. Thornhill often spoke of the you believe on this subject is extremely molding of human nature during the era of William F. Vitulli important, yet Pinker makes no mention of evolutionary adaptation, when reproductive Emeritus Professor of Psychology Wilson. success was everything. Honest understand- Department of Psychology ing of what we are, and why, is far more University of South Alabama rewarding and hopeful than pious subscrip- John E. Hendrix Mobile, Alabama tion to some pie-eyed belief in what we think Emeritus Professor we ought to be. Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate pommels a Robin Johnson straw man in asserting there is a "modern Albuquerque, New Mexico Steven Pinker replies: denial of human nature." While some renowned scholars, past and present, empha- The writer is correct that E. O. Wilson deserves size environmental influences on behavior, Most of what Steven Pinker says about credit for bringing these points to the attention not even John Locke or B.F. Skinner denied nature and nurture seems altogether reason- of the larger public. I do bring him up in the influences of genes. 6 2 July/August 2003 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER LETTE RS TO THE EDITOR Meanwhile, relative influences of hered- Acupuncture Science ... Having read die article, I have gained the ity and environment on many behaviors vague notion that some investigators have remain obscure. Unfortunately, that fact Or Not reported it is efficacious and have offered docs not deter certain influential "hcreditar- more modern-sounding conceptual models ians" from assailing "dumb" people. For After reading Dr. George Ulett's article of how it works—but no more convincing example. The Bell Curve authors Richard ("Acupuncture, Magic, and Make-Believe," than the reports from free-energy machine Herrnstein and Charles Murray, "favorably" March/April 2003), I am left with gnawing inventors or dowsing-rod salesmen. mentioned by Pinker, repeatedly use the feelings of puzzlement. On the one hand I terms "dumb" and "smart" in referring, appreciate the authors attempts to provide Mark T. Duigon respectively, to those who score low and high historic perspective on acupuncture, the Stewartstown. Pennsylvania on tests of "cognitive ability." They pour out background on its introduction into the a torrent of statistics indicating crime, illegit- U.S., and its dose relationship with the pow- imacy, child abuse, and a host of other social erful placebo effect. But on the other hand I In his article George Ulett debunks traditional problems arc causally related to cognitive am perplexed how easily the same individual Chinese beliefs about acupuncture, but he ability as measured by standardized tests. is able to switch from debunking in his fails to apply the same degree of skepticism to words "an archaic procedure in which nee- One of their claims (p. 163) is that cognitive his own beliefs. He advocates a new, evi- dles arc inserted through the skin over imag- ability is a "... significant determinant dence-based form of "acupuncture" involving inary channels in accord with rules devel- [emphasis mine] of dropout from the labor no "acu" and no "puncture;" he stimulates oped from prc-scientific superstition and force." Thai may be true. However, die only the skin with electricity over putative motor statement supported by their research is that numerological beliefs" to supporting a so- called "scientific acupuncture," a method, points using EKG-type pads rather dun nee- certain measures of cognitive ability may dles. His article gives die impression that die help predict dropout. again in his words, that "stimulates motor points and nerve junctures" and in which efficacy and scientific basis of this dierapy "specific electrical currents induce the gene have been adequately established. Richard Harger expression of neurochemicals and activates Although the experiments he describes are Spokane, Washington brain areas important for healing," without intriguing, they do not prove his case. His producing a shred of evidence in the process. method is essentially a variation of the old Three references are provided at me end, TENS (transcutaneous electric nerve stimu- I would like to point out to Steven Pinker diat none of which would qualify as peer- lation) method—itself, an extension of histor- it is quite possible to agree with die broad out- reviewed scientific literature. Obviously, the ical attempts to interfere widi pain sensation lines of his Blank Slate theory—namely, drat now-scientific acupuncture must be based on using electricity—which looked promising at human behavior is shaped by both genetics a wealth of articles that demonstrate die first but has proven not very effective and is and environment—and still disagree, vche- actual existence of die motor points and diercfore not widely accepted. mendy and nontrivially, over any or all spe- nerve junctures, their relationship to the Perhaps Dr. Ulett's technique causes a cific conclusions drawn by die dieory's propo- release of neurochemicals and a plethora of combination of placebo and nonspecific nents about which behaviors are influenced well controlled, double-blind clinical studies counterirritant effects.

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