▁grammar , ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁inher ent ▁rules ▁and ▁principles ▁that ▁all ▁humans ▁have ▁to ▁govern ▁language , ▁and ▁says ▁that ▁the ▁components ▁of ▁universal ▁grammar ▁are ▁bi ological . ▁To ▁support ▁this , ▁he ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁children ▁seem ▁to ▁know ▁that ▁language ▁has ▁a ▁hier arch ical ▁structure , ▁and ▁they ▁never ▁make ▁mistakes ▁that ▁one ▁would ▁expect ▁from ▁a ▁hypothesis ▁that ▁language ▁is ▁linear . ▁ ▁Steven ▁P ink er ▁has ▁also ▁written ▁on ▁this ▁subject ▁from ▁the ▁perspective ▁of ▁modern - day ▁cogn itive ▁science . ▁He ▁says ▁that ▁modern ▁cogn itive ▁scient ists , ▁like ▁figures ▁in ▁the ▁past ▁such ▁as ▁Gott fried ▁Wilhelm ▁Le ib n iz ▁( 1 6 4 6 - 1 7 1 6 ), ▁don ’ t ▁believe ▁in ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁the ▁mind ▁starting ▁a ▁" blank ▁sl ate ." ▁Though ▁they ▁have ▁disput es ▁on ▁the ▁nature - n urt ure ▁diffusion , ▁they ▁all ▁believe ▁that ▁learning ▁is ▁based ▁on ▁something ▁inn ate ▁to ▁humans . ▁Without ▁this ▁inn aten ess , ▁there ▁will ▁be ▁no ▁learning ▁process . ▁He ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁humans ' ▁acts ▁are ▁non - ex ha ust ive , ▁even ▁though ▁basic ▁bi ological ▁functions ▁are ▁finite . ▁An ▁example ▁of ▁this ▁from ▁lingu istics ▁is ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁humans ▁can ▁produce ▁infinite ▁sentences , ▁most ▁of ▁which ▁are ▁brand ▁new ▁to ▁the ▁speaker ▁themselves , ▁even ▁though ▁the ▁words ▁and ▁phr ases ▁they ▁have ▁heard ▁are ▁not ▁infinite . ▁ ▁P ink er ,