Nurture or Nature?

[PEEWEE]

Are we the way we are today, because of genetics or is it due to our child hood and the way our parents/gaurdians have raised us.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I believe BOTH! Some of it is genetics, but we learn a lot from our parents.

[JaKiri]

Both. To ignore either factor is a hideous oversimplification.

Plus there may be a degree of selfdeterminism.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Yeah, and our parents/guardians don't have to do it all! What about all your peers? And TV? And radio? And-never mind. You get the point.

[Sayonara³]

It doesn't have to be parents or guardians; anything non-genetic comes under "environmental factors".

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Thats what I was trying to say.
It can be ANYTHING to modify the way we are! I mean, if your parents and ALL your family all the way up are not interested in music, how do you explain liking playing the violin? But your mother has bad temper and so do you! So it could be either!

[Sayonara³]

Ideally we would take away the environmental factors and look at the results in one set of victims, I mean volunteers; and with the other set do the opposite.

Bit tricky removing the genetic factor though :(

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Modify there genes? But we don't know what some of them do! I suppose we could factor in all the parents and relatives to get close to knowing what to expect from them. You'd need to study back far though... hard to do. I doubt you could prove nature or nuture very well with that method.

[Sayonara³]

Hey, you're good at this.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

That's nice. Are you saying I am good at debating or what?
[farfetched]Maybe you could CREATE a human with standard genes that create no personality! Then simply see what comes out![\farfetched] Actualy that wouldn't work. Simply put, they'd end up messed up and with genetic defects. You cannot modify genes without a few failures. The effects may be amusing though (but that's cruel!) So that is hopeless too! How to do it... think!

[Sayonara³]

I'm off to bed.

You have a think about it, I'm sure you'll come up with something.

[Skye]

You can remove (or make inactive) single genes and figure out the results. They are called knockouts.

[blike]

Interesting topic. I almost picked up a book this weekend that argues the "blank slate". Its a top seller at the bookstore, but basically he argues that we are born a complete blank slate. I'll have to pick it up and see how it is.

[PEEWEE]

I was reading an article in the paper the other day, and I young girl ws abused by her father from the age of 3 up until the age of sixteen whn she left home. Her brother also began abusing her at the age of six (both are now in prison I'm thnkful to say). Was it the brothers genetics that made him do it or was it the envroment the brother lived in. I beleive both factors probably caused this partly genetics and partly as said above the enviromental factors the brother lived in. Genetics must have some impact on our behaviour. e.g. Turtles eggs are buried in the sand and they are left there, but when they hatch they still know to head to the water. Which is obviously animal instinct which must come from genetics. So therefore some of our behaviour must be impacted from our genetics. Agree?

[JaKiri]

I'd say that factor was more to do with the situation; certain elements of behaviour may come down to a genetic level and arise independently (this is where the selfdetermination thing comes in), yet in many more cases things are done because they are seen to be acceptable.

[Radical Edward]

Sayonara?said in post #7 (http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=32017#post32017):

Bit tricky removing the genetic factor though :(

monozygotic twins.

[PEEWEE]

I am the way I am due to science, it's amazing what they can do now a days. Long live the Soviet!!!

[JaKiri]

I think I can safely say, with no fear of mistake, that this discussion isn't going any further.