Nature Vs. Nurture Debate
“[Nature vs. Nurture is a] convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed. Nature is all that a man brings with himself into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth. The distinction is clear: the one produces the infant such as it actually is, including its latent faculties of growth and mind: the other affords the environment amid which the growth takes place, by which natural tendencies may be strengthened or thwarted or wholly new ones implanted.” -Francis Galton, 1874
Throughout history, one question has been pondered, experimented, and fought about: does heredity or environment ultimately develop a human's characteristics. Is a person smart because they are in an educationally rich environment, or because they were just born that way? This debate has had many outcomes, and many consequences.
2010 History Fair