Nature vs. Nurture; What has the most effect on people

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This is a topic that I get into frequently with people. I believe that a lot of human behavior is learned, not inherited. People like to use genetics as a scapegoat for bad conduct, rather than actually taking responsibility for their actions. And I'm talking about all people; NT, ND, all races, all religions, everybody.

I believe "nurture" is more powerful than "nature." We may have a certain tendency toward a certain direction, good or bad, but it is the environment in which we live and grow that can either bring out or hide those traits.

I also believe that all people may have a "cap" to their natural limitations, but our environment can either help us achieve more of our potential or keep us down.

I believe that the environment can be a home life or the socio-economic situation we are in, etc. The "system" contributes to the environment as well.

I have a few students who have innate musical ability, but without my willingness to teach them for almost free they wouldn't be able to take lessons and develop those skills. This is one example where one's "nature" can potentially never reach potential due to "nurture" (or lack of.)

Nature is the hardware and operating system, nurture is the software, and free will is the operator.

Our character is determined by the ways in which we respond to our environments. The plasticity of the brain means that we can challenge those genetically pre programmed responses. When you say system it brings to mind the concept of the "spirit of the age" or the system of archetypes which governs much of our thought. As westerners we have inherited the genes of our society with all its response patterns.

Epigenetics are also another interesting aside because genes themselves are subject to change which is another point to nurture

It's just like an RPG. If you were born a bard you're gonna have some prebaked boosts to certain stats, but overall it's mostly investing time to level up so you can invest talent points, so I'd go with mainly nurture.

Certainly nature! If you are born an antelope or grasshopper, you will never achieve anything beyond survival and procreation.

Within humanity, nurture is more important. We may be limited by our genetics to a degree (I could never have been a professional basketball player, even if I had trained since birth), but I believe if you switch Johns Lennon and Hurt at birth without anyone's knowledge, Hurt would probably have been a successful musician and Lennon a successful actor.