PART I. The blank slate, the noble savage, and the ghost in the machine -- Official theory -- Silly putty -- Last wall to fall -- Culture vultures -- Slate's last stand -- PART II. Fear and loathing -- Political scientists -- Holy trinity -- PART III. Human nature with a human face -- Fear of inequality -- Fear of imperfectibility -- Fear of determinism -- Fear of nihilism -- PART IV. Know thyself -- In touch with reality -- Out of our depths -- Many roots of our suffering -- Sanctimonious animal -- PART V. Hot buttons -- Politics -- Violence -- Gender -- Children -- Arts -- PART VI. Voice of the species -- Appendix: Donald E. Brown's list of human universals.