I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless you identify the learning mechanisms. And these have some genetic basis.
Interpretation
Learning mechanisms are inherently linked to our genetic makeup.
Steven Pinker's quote emphasizes the importance of understanding the biological and genetic foundations of how humans learn. He suggests that, rather than assuming we are simply programmed to learn in specific ways, it is crucial to identify the mechanisms that drive learning, which are influenced by our genetic inheritance.
In practice
During a lecture on educational psychology, this quote could be used to highlight the biological aspects of learning.
The foundation of individual rights is the assumption that people have wants and needs and are authorities on what those wants and needs are. If people's stated desires were just some kind of erasable inscription or reprogrammable brainwashing, any atrocity could be justified.
The linguistic clumsiness of tourists and students might be the price we pay for the linguistic genius we displayed as babies, just as the decrepitude of age in the price we pay for the vigor of youth.
If we are not to abandon values such as peace and equality, or our commitments to science and truth, then we must pry these values away from claims about our psychological makeup that are vulnerable to being proven false.
We adults protect ourselves with laws, police, workplace regulations and social norms and there is no conceivable reason why children should be left more vulnerable, other that laziness or callousness in considering what life is like from their point of view.
The idea that children are passive repositories to be shaped by their parents has been massively overstated. A child's peer group is a far greater determinant of its development and achievements than parental aspiration.
Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've already lost the argument, because you're using reason to make your case. ... We don't "believe" in reason.
Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.
If I had a choice of educating my daughters or my sons because of opportunity constraints, I would choose to educate my daughters.
Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.
Books delight to the very marrow of one's bones. They speak to us, consult with us, and join with us in a living and intense intimacy.
Don’t just create content to get credit for being clever — create content that will be helpful, insightful, or interesting for your target audience.
I think picture books should stretch children. I think they should be full of wonderful, amazing words.
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