“Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?” What’s the premise here? Basically that we are wired, versus an ability to choose and alter the programming.
Throughout undergrad and grad school I listened to various lectures, arguments and rambling discourses on this in anthropology courses, and student discussions. I acknowledge that both sides have telling points, but after listening to all those discussions I’ve reached two conclusions:
1.) the two subtly intergrade; it isn’t one or the other, and
2.)If all the discussion, and argument were put to more useful purpose than arguing about it we could make substantial progress on World Peace. Too much idiotic argument.
It could be a concrete jungle out there with people taking and fighting over truly entrenched positions. The worst was when the arguments occured at parties, and killed the buzz. Nature or nurture you wanted to kick the idiots out of the party.
What’s my prejudice? Well I’m a cultural anthropologist by training, and worked as a practicing anthropologist for many years. I’ve always felt that there are subtle interactions between nature and nurture, but nature is moderated my our use of culture to create our own circumstances. You may have an inborn disposition for art, for example, but your individual interests may lead you in a variety of directions, and you get to chose how you express it.
If you have a family tradition for creating pranks that stretches back over the generations that may be a bit of nature, but it’s shaped by your family culture and your own tastes in humor.
I do know one thing about this issue, and that is that some people argue about it entirely to much. Is that their Nature?
****My site is not wworking correctly, and I at sea. so I am attempting to post this through the viewer. Sorry for the errors!
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Personally I believe who we are is the basis on which our experiences build. That is why some swing out of bounds and never come back… They do not have a firm foundation to return to.
It’s true having a good anchor point is essential. You and I both knew people who drifted off course and never returned.
I saw this and I went, “Huh? Who we are determines our experiences and the unpredictable consequences, in turn, reflect and redirect our identities you dumb prompt.” But that’s just my experience (haha). As for the course? I don’t know — there are a lot of arguments that people seem to enjoy about nature vs. nurture but when they start? I tend to look at my watch and say, “HFS (it’s my nature to curse; it was nurtured by my dad) I had no idea it was already the middle of the day! I have absolutely nothing to do! I’d better get at it!”
Agreed!
Don’t forget we are what we eat too 😁 We are shaped by our environment and those around us or made I am just a chameleon.
Thanks for joining in RDP Lou 😀