nature nurture options

Nature v nurture – the options
George Clark, 16 July 2008

The nature v nurture debate is likely to be around for some time. The following table might help to inform discussion by injecting shades of grey into what is often a polarised, black v white confrontation.

There are causes and conditions for our nature and our nurture and in both cases these can be thought of as good, neutral or bad. By plotting these options on a table we can generate nine viewpoints.

Viewpoint 1 is of rosy optimism while viewpoint 9 is of gloomy pessimism. The other viewpoints take intermediary positions. People choose their ‘facts’ and argue accordingly.

I tend to viewpoint 1 but with reservations. Our natural hard wiring suits as to live harmoniously in tribal society and many patterns of nurturing have evolved to fit us intimately to our particular social and physical environments. But, in our modern globalized world, our natures are having a hard time keeping up with our novel patterns of nurture.

The good news is that there are those among us who begin to understand what is going on in a holistic, multi-disciplinary and systematic way. With a better understanding of our natures we can tweak our nurturing forces so as to better adapt us to the many aspects of the modern world with which we have to deal – Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic, Political, Legal and Spiritual (STEEPLeS).

All seven factors interact but it is perhaps useful to note that the ‘spiritual’ factor has been largely ignored in recent times. This factor can be seen as linked to mindfulness meditation and thus to a new psychology of perception. This takes it out of the shadow of ‘religion’ and, arguably, helps give practitioners the experience of human nature being in essence good – we evolved to live in harmony with each other and with our physical environment.