LINK In the Nature–Nurture War, Nature Wins - Scientific American Blog Network
Recent research has built a mountain of evidence showing that genetics contributes importantly to all psychological differences between us. In fact, inherited DNA differences account for about 50 percent of the differences between us, in our personality, mental health and illness, and cognitive abilities and disabilities.
Environmental influences are important, too, but they are largely unsystematic, unstable and idiosyncratic
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.So our body’s genetic makeup is an important part of our living environment. If you think that we are more than our bodies then the differences are all environmental. As a consciously aware being I can choose to modify my environment, even the genetic part of the environment, according to epigenetics.
The way I drive is partly determined by the particular car that I own, but also by the road system in my area. I can even have the car modified, but I am not my car however.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
Dec 15, 2018
1
My understanding of epigenetics is scant but looks to me we don’t change our genetic makeup, rather how they are expressed. When we get farther down the road of genetic engineering I’m sure we will start modifying our actual genetic structure. At any rate, it’s an interesting perspective you suggest here, that the differences could be seen as all environmental. And I can see how that could conceivably be a valid philosophical perspective, but maybe not a biological one... just yet, anyway.
Using 'win' in this context is just sensational language. This is a very complex issue so shouldn't nurture at least get a participation trophy?
For serious, what people need to understand is that when the environment is exactly the same our biology explains 100% of the differences and where there is exactly the same biological factors the environment accounts for 100% of the differences. Now those two cases are either impossible in the former case and relatively rare in humans in the latter. So the environment and the biology are always factors. Separating the two is not as easy as most people might think. Additionally, both have an influence on each other, which complicates all this further.
Dietl
Level 7
Dec 15, 2018
2
Still seems like 50-50 to me. The post says about fifty percent...
Cutiebeauty
Level 9
Dec 15, 2018
0
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