Nature and nurture（John）

The debate these days draws our attention about whether nature or nurture which one play more important role in our human life. It is indisputable that both of nature and nurture are two significant factors and influence our growth. Most supporters of the nurture theory hold a conventional wisdom that family and cultural environment determined our behaviors and personality traits, and not genetically determined. Whereas, from my point of view, I inclined to agree that nature has an immense impact on determining personal character and the makeup of a person.

There is an old saying in China is certainly true that “It's easier to move a mountain than change a man's character!” In my eyes, a person who was born with his nurture might affect his personality to transfer or to be strengthen, but ultimately his genes still have a significant impact on how his lifelong living and thinking style.

Scientists had made a great many of experiments to research the twins. The studies of the twins that were reared apart and of uniform abilities, interest, and personalities illustrate that genes and nature has a huge impact on a person and what it means to be human. In Megan Rolerkite’s essay, he found that “The Bruce and Brian case is a good example that proves that gender identity isn’t an effect of nurturing, that a child is born with ties to a specific gender. The correlations in the IQ scores of the twins demonstrate that nature has a larger effect than nurture on intelligence. The twins that were separated early in childhood had surprisingly high IQ correlations”.

Moreover, just taking one’s Interest as an instance, It’s the universally acknowledged that interest is the best teacher in our life, and we all know that interest in a large extent depends on the person's innate factors, so the development of their own congenital genes play a significant role. Furthermore, in my eyes, congenital genes determine our personality, just like a proverb said that “Fools grow without watering”. I believe that any top-level talent, such as those well-known famous people like the artists, scientists, military strategists, politicians and of world champions including various sports etc. are genetically determined. So a person's IQ and outstanding aptitude are mainly belong to genes, education cannot make an ordinary people become genius.

I think education can only make ordinary people become more professional and skillful, and can foster a person's emotional intelligence, it can set or change a person's values, build a person's knowledge structure. But to the vast majority of ordinary people, all kinds of innate ability differences are not exit many gaps, mainly working with the nurture and education. In brief, the genes producing genius, talent is just an outcome of education.

All in all, although it is generally accepted that nurture is much more vital than nature, I still believe that internal factors that determine our external factors. It goes without saying that congenital conditions determine a person’s intelligence and shape his image-building, which affects all his life.
Reference:
Megan Rolerkite
http://web.pdx.edu/~megr/inquiry_naturevsnurture.htm