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The Nature and Nurture Debate

            "Different strains of corn may grow to different heights when equally irrigated, but a plant from the taller strain might end up shorter if deprived of water" (Pinker 10); Philosophy like any other social science will never have any answers that are concrete, solid, or always correct. The debate of Nature vs Nurture and it's effects on society is not a new, hot philosophical topic. This discussion has been taking place for centuries, and with good cause as the outcome of experiments has or should have an effect on how we treat crucial parts of development like parenthood and education. Through the hypotheses and experiments conducted by philosophers dating back to Aristotle, the theories of biological determinism and environmental determinisms each have many strengths and many weaknesses. .
             An idea that often comes to mind when one thinks of nurture is the tabula rasa, or blank slate, which promotes a society that values a child's experiences and environment as the only factor in how their adult self behaves. The idea of the tabula rasa is that people are born with a completely "blank slate" of a mind, or no knowledge of the world until they experience it, and the personality of a human is only formed by their experiences and environment. The modern understanding of this ancient theory of tabula rasa can be largely attributed to English philosopher and scholar, John Locke, who wrote on the subject in his work An Essay Concerning Human Understanding published in 1690. The strength of this theory is that it puts a lot of stress on good parenting and the importance of the environment in which one learns and develops their thoughts and ideas. .
             Also connected to the idea of tabula rasa, is the theory of empiricism, the foundations of which "are found in the works of John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume" (Caldwell 577). Locke explores the aspects of human knowledge in his Essay, and concludes that "knowledge is restricted to ideas generated by objects that one experiences through the senses or by reflecting upon our mental operations on those ideas" (Caldwell 577).


Essays Related to The Nature and Nurture Debate

1. The Nature vs. Nurture Debate

... twins there is some similarities but none that are complete evidence of the nature theory. These studies fuel the pot for both the nature and the nurture ideas. The nature vs. nurture debate over the last forty years has reached an agreement that they both influence the development of human behavior. In the 1960s, researchers from both theories began to study the interaction of the genes and the environment (Devlin 1997). Dr. Ann Barnet explains, "Even in an unborn ... baby, genes and environment interact almost from the moment of conception"(Barnet, 1998, p.10). The interaction between...

  • Word Count: 1814
  • Approx Pages: 7
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2. The Nature or Nurture Debate

... processes. In contrast, Nurture influences are non-biological and include factors such as the environment. People who have a strong nurture viewpoint believe that we can make lifestyle choices by a range of social, psychological and economic factors. In relation to my celebrity, Sharon Osborne, certain aspects of her life were nature and some were nurture. I will be discussing which were nature, which were nurtured and why. Another nature-nurture debate that relates to Sharon ... 's development is her marriage to Ozzy Osborne in 1982. Some people may say that this is nature because they ...

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3. Nature and Nurture in the Expression of Intelligence

... much of its discoveries to it. A popular and widely known argument is the 'nature/nurture debate'; which psychological attributes are derived from a biological source, and which are a product of one's environment. In this essay, we will explore the nature/nurture debate in regards to intelligence. Following a brief overview of some key definitions, this essay will review the literature and investigate the claims of the role of nature and nurture with regard to intelligence. This essay will ... argue that the basis for intelligence is largely genetic ... ...

  • Word Count: 1837
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
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4. nature vs nurutre

... capabilities to follow similarly remarkable patterns of growth and development? Bibliography Bibliography Bettelheim, Adriel (1998, April 3) Biology and behavior., CQ Researcher, v8 n13, pp. 291(18). Gregory, Richard L. (1987) The Oxford Companion to the Mind (New York, NY; University of Oxford Press), pp. 376. Herbert, Wray (1997, April 21) Politics of biology: how the nature vs. nurture debate shapes public policy and our view of ourselves., U.S. News & World Report ... , v122 n15, pp. 72(7). McGue, Matt (1989, August 17) Nature-nurture and intelligence., Nature, v340 n6234, pp. 507(2)...

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5. The Nature or Nurture Debate

... features of the human environment. Along the line drawn during the above introduction I would like to avail myself with the thoughts and theories of such philosophers starting with the ones with a more nativist position until reaching the ones with a deeper focus on the environment in order to deeply analyze how these theories have become the basis for a more in deep psychology analysis of the nature-nurture debate. In fact, one of the hugest interrogatives ... characteristics such as gender development, intelligence, and personality more influenced by heredity or by the environment? Fo...

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  • Approx Pages: 6
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6. Nuture Vs. Nature

... the Nurture vs. Nature. It is also sometimes known as the genetic/environmental controversy. The debate concerning the influence of nature and nurture in development is one of the most controversial and long-running in Psychology. When trying to answer the question 'What makes us the way we are?', we need to consider both the influence of innate influences such as personality traits or genetics, and of the environment and surroundings. These two sides are fought very well. Nature and nurture ... affect behavior by influencing the structure and function of the ... ...

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7. Nature vs Nuture

... can turn on certain vulnerability genes, rich and challenging experiences have the power to enhance life, again acting through the genes. Perhaps certain genetic components are especially receptive to certain nurturing behaviors. For example, talent and intelligence, both appear extraordinarily malleable. The reason the debate regarding issues of nature opposed to issues of nurture has remained so controversial and such a hot debate topic is the simple fact that, with every new day ... , new information is discovered or understood. If the mechanical, human-created world of the Internet s...

  • Word Count: 1262
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Nature vs Nurture

... a crowded cafeteria. Was this horrific act a product of nurture or nature? This individual was supposedly raised in a loving, supportive, two-parent home with a strong moral upbringing, yet his obsession with weapons and violence may have led to this tragedy. It is possible that Kip Kinkle was exposed to a great deal of violence on television and in the media, but it is also likely that, due ... to a glitch in his "mainframe", he was predisposed to violence, hence the attraction to it. If media exposure is to blame, then it is conceivable to assume that all children will eventually disp...

  • Word Count: 285
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Theories and Methodoligies of Criminal Behavior

... that can be violated. Each way is filled with its personal strengths and weaknesses but in each theory the weaknesses of one are backed up by the strengths of another. The devices to explain crime link to the nature versus nurture debate which is never dead set to one side just argued back and forth. I lean towards nature being the main factor in crime charges but see them both connected through ... the social situations people are thrown into. This develops that person's potential to unleash their subconscious criminal mind set ... ...

  • Word Count: 2288
  • Approx Pages: 9
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