In this blog post, we explore whether Albert Einstein’s genius was innate or the result of education and environment, and examine the influence of both factors on human development.
Introduction
We may wonder whether Albert Einstein was a natural genius or whether he became a genius through nurture and environment. It is worth discussing whether his outstanding intelligence and creativity were due to genetic factors or whether they were made possible by growing up in a specific educational and environmental setting. This naturally leads to the question of whether his children were also geniuses.
Discussions about genius are always fascinating and serve as an important starting point for exploring the origins of human talent and ability. In this regard, the nature versus nurture debate has been at the center of philosophical and scientific discussions for a long time, and finding the answer is a very complex issue. If everything is genetically determined, then the importance of human values such as education, morality, and ethics would fade.
Conversely, if everything is determined by nurture, then individual effort and responsibility would be disregarded. As such, it is difficult to assert that either nature or nurture is entirely correct, making further discussion necessary. In this blog post, we will examine the perspectives of nurture and genetic determinism, emphasizing the powerful influence of nurture on human behavior.
Human nature can be changed by the educational environment (nurture theory)
First, we will examine the importance of nurture through an anecdote from Plutarch’s Ethical Essays, a work of philosophy from the Greek and Roman era. “Lycurgus’ puppies were not of the same species.
One puppy inherited the blood of a guard dog, while the other inherited the blood of an excellent hunting dog. Lycurgus trained the inferior breed to be hunting dogs and the superior breed to be guard dogs. Later, observing their behavior as they had been trained, Lycurgus concluded that their behavior was not the result of heredity but of nurture.”
In this quote, Plutarch argues that upbringing and training play an important role regardless of bloodline. This concept can also be applied to humans, suggesting that human nature can also be changed by the environment.
Plutarch’s argument was further reinforced by the “blank slate” concept of British empiricist philosopher John Locke. Locke viewed the human mind as a blank slate, unwritten, which is filled through experience. He used this concept to argue that human character and behavior are shaped by upbringing. This theory of upbringing also influenced the work of American behaviorist psychologist John H. Watson. Watson, drawing on the conditioned reflex theory of Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, believed that human personality could be altered through training. The conditioned reflex theory originated from an experiment where dogs salivated at the sound of a bell after being repeatedly fed while the bell rang. These theories all emphasize that nurture plays a significant role in shaping human behavior.
Additionally, Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud also supported the theory of nurture, arguing that early childhood experiences have a profound influence on the human mind. Proponents of the theory of nurture argue that if humans are completely determined by genes, then education has no meaning. Furthermore, the findings of the Human Genome Project, which revealed that humans have only 30,000 genes, have strengthened the argument that genes alone cannot explain human behavior. Based on the small number of genes, they interpret that the environment and upbringing play a more important role in human development.
Human personality is innate (genetic determinism)
On the other hand, genetic determinists support the position that human personality and behavior are essentially innate. For example, American psychologist William James argued that the reason humans behave more intelligently than animals is because humans have more instincts.
Inspired by Charles Robert Darwin’s theory of evolution, he believed that the human mind has evolved like physical organs, and that innate instincts played an important role in this process. Genetic determinism can also be found in the research of linguist Noam Chomsky.
Chomsky argued that humans are born with language abilities, which are genetically determined rather than learned through experience. He believed that the reason children can produce sentences they have never heard before is due to their innate language abilities. In this way, Chomsky used human language abilities as an example to argue that genetic factors determine important human characteristics.
Additionally, genetic determinists support their claims with empirical research. For example, evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, in his book Blank Slate, pointed out that overestimating the influence of upbringing on human behavior is incorrect. He emphasized the importance of genetics by presenting research findings showing that identical twins raised in different environments are more similar in personality, intelligence, and habits than adopted children raised in the same environment.
In addition to such cases, there are various experiments and research results that support genetic determinism. In particular, Brenda’s case serves as strong evidence for genetic determinists. Dr. John William Money argued that a child’s gender identity could be determined by upbringing after undergoing gender reassignment surgery, but the results were tragic. This case remains a powerful example supporting the claim that human personality and identity are innate.
Conclusion
The nature versus nurture debate remains an issue that is difficult to conclude. Recent studies suggest that humans are not determined by either nature or nurture, but rather that these two factors interact to shape human personality and behavior. However, nurture still has a significant impact on humans and enables them to develop.
Brenda’s case demonstrates the negative consequences that can arise from neglecting nature in upbringing. Therefore, we can conclude that balancing nature and nurture is a crucial element in human development. While considering nature, we must not overlook the important role that nurture plays in determining human behavior.
