In the "Blank Slate," Pinker sets up his piece in a logical procession, hitting points 'A,' 'B' and 'C.' To do this in any other way in today's post-Cartesian world wouldn't make any sense. Logic has permeated through our every day world, especially in academia. Toulmin's model for arguments and counterarguments are a good example of this. The Toulmin model is easy to follow and consists of six parts - claim, ground, warrant, backing, rebuttal and qualification.
His claim: "That means that there has been a need for a new theory of human nature, one not tied to fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible [...] I suggest that the standard secular theory of human nature that's taken place is based on three doctrines, each of which can be associated for mnemonic purposes with a dead white European male" (1-2).
Pinker then goes into talking about the theories of tabula rasa, noble savage, and ghost in the machine (his ground, warrant and backing). After that he talks about the ways each are flawed and the scientific evidence that disproves the theory. The science he talks about is principally founded on dividing and dissecting the human body and nature and using Cartesian maps and theory.
He even begins one of his paragraphs with "Let me begin with..." giving us a logical list to follow. Though Pinker argues against the ghost in the machine, he is still using the Cartesian method to argue against it.
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