Conjecture Quote by Stephen Pinker
““Fundamental values (such as equality and human rights) should not be held hostage to some factual conjecture about blank slates that might be refuted tomorrow.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Enlightenment Now, 2018
He argues that fundamental values like equality and human rights must not be compromised by uncertain theories about humanity's nature.
In simple terms: Values shouldn't be hostage to uncertain ideas.
Key Takeaway
Protect core rights from speculative theories.
Themes
ethics
human rights
philosophy
science
policy
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- legislation
- education
- public discourse
- human rights advocacy
Key Concepts
equality
human nature
epistemology
political theory
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence should guide policy on rights?
- How to balance certainty and openness?
A Different Perspective
Speculative theories can sometimes guide progress; balance needed.
![“The greatest moral appeal of the doctrine of the Blank Slate comes from a simple mathematical fact: zero equals zero. This allows the Blank Slate to serve as a guarantor of political equality...[I]f we are all blank slates, the reasoning goes, we must all be equal. But if the slate of a newborn is…” quote by Stephen Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a7/stephen-pinker-44434_character_the-greatest-moral-appeal-of-the-doctrin_790205.jpg)
![“[C]ulture, for all its importance, is not some miasma that seeps into people through their skin. Culture relies on neural circuitry that accomplishes the feat we call learning. Those circuits do not make us indiscriminate mimics but have to work in surprisingly subtle ways to make the transmission…” quote by Stephen Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d2f/stephen-pinker-44434_culture_c-ulture-for-all-its-importance-is-not-s_1151760.jpg)
![“The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. [...] I conjecture that there is no good algorithm for the traveling salesman problem. My reasons are the same as for any mathematical conjecture: (1) It is a legitimate…” quote by Jack Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/43a/jack-edmonds-61996_algorithms_the-classes-of-problems-which-are-respec_50487.jpg)
![“Physiognomy is not a guide that has been given us by which to judge of the character of men: it may only serve us for conjecture. [Fr., La physionomie n'est pas une regle qui nous soit donnee pour juger des hommes; elle nous peut servir de conjecture.]” quote by Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3cd/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_character_physiognomy-is-not-a-guide-that-has-been_207056.jpg)
