Nature Vs Nurture

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2002

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        The controversy of heredity versus environment is still hotly debated. There are advocates of both sides and then there are those who state that there is a combination of the two. People who claim that who we are comes from heredity believe that everything is inherited from our parents and that we progress independently of our environment. The other side, the proponents of the environment, believe that we are the products of our nurture. They claim that we are all born with a clean slate and that we are all equal. I believe that there is some mixture of the two. Some characteristics come from our nature aspect and some from our nurture.

        Our innate characteristics are our genetics. Which are from our gene pool, solely from our parents. Having nothing to do, whatsoever, with our natural environment. Obviously, this is including our physical traits, such as our looks. Also included in our physical traits are our height and foot size.

The place were we are born has nothing to do with our innate traits. That we have been destined for since birth. For example, suppose you were born on the west coast, in California, chances are, you would still be the same height and have the same shoe size. Our gene pool is something that is out of human control and we cannot change or alter what we look like or how we turn out.

        Then, there are those characteristics that people attribute to our bring-up, our home lives. Things like personality and moral values are independently due to our environment. Being raised in a loving and stable home will yield a different type of person than someone raised in a turbulent and uncaring home. Likewise, someone who has had the luxuries of growing up in an affluent household...