Nature Vs Nurture
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Claim
The concept of nature vs nurture asks a simple question, what affects us more? The education we received as children aka nurture, or our biology aka nature. On the one hand, it sounds like a question between our "software" - our ability to learn from our culture which grants us flexibility between generations, and our "hardware" - the genes we are born with that are fixed throughout our lives Fixed mindset assumes capabilities are unchangeable from birth.
Explanation
However, there is no sense of talking about "nature" and "nurture" as separated concepts, because both can be flexible and rigid, so this Binary thinking reduces complexity to false dichotomies is false.
- How can genes be flexible - only a small subset of our genes are the actual behaviors that we tend to call as fixed, and most of our genes are instructions to when trigger a certain behavior depending on the environment and how we interact with it Genetic Switches. Meaning that Actions and meaning depend on situational and environmental circumstances is everything. These switches can be turned on or off depending on our habits, and some are even hereditary, meaning that the choices we make today can change not only how our DNA operates but also our children.
- How culture can be rigid - We are not born with a Symbolic fresh starts break entrenchment and enable change, same as our genes, we are born into a specific Social environment shapes behavior and identity through norms and conformity that shapes how we view the world. Some cultures have low tolerance for diversity, which means that we can't easily escape the norm and choose our own path. Despite it not being a hardcoded DNA, the forces of conformism can be as strong or even stronger than our DNA.
Why it matters
The bottom line in this debate is not which is more rigid or influential than the other, but rather can we be free ourselves from these influences? I believe so. Helplessness is perceiving no control over circumstances and outcomes is not the right strategy. No matter your beliefs, you can change your destiny. While both culture and DNA are to an extent a measure of your Objectivity is loss of agency to external control and instrumental treatment, you are also a spirit, a subject. you can escape the perceptions of your education and culture, and you can change your habits which will in reality change your genes. Life Embracing
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