Nature vs Nurture

The debate over what was more important in shaping the human personality, nature or nurture, has been going on since the 1600’s. The whole debate began with a man named Richard Mulcaster. Mulcaster began this war with the writing of his book, Nature Makes the Boy Toward, and Nurture Sees Him Forward (1612). He wasn’t the only one who brought the question to the attention of the public. Shakespeare, himself, incorporated this theme into his …

…the contribution on genes as a whole to any particular behavior or cognitive ability. Instead, each gene is a single player in a wonderfully intricate story, involving non-additive interaction of genes, proteins, hormone, food, and life experiences and leading to effect on a variety of cognitive and behavioral functions. Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors certainly have biological mechanisms, but this does not mean we can separate and quantify the genetic contributions to these processes.” (Berkowitz 3)