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To What Extent Does The Nature And Nurture Debate

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The nature versus nurture debate is said to be one of the oldest, longstanding debates within psychology. This debate really sparks the interests of researching whether it is soley by nature (our genes or hereditary factors) or by nurture (our enivornment, relationships, teachings) that we become who we are or what influences us most.
Nature depends more on science, as it’s the belief that we inherit who we are and our genes become our biological make up. Philosophers such as Descartes, Galton and Plato advocated that who we are is congenital and that it occurs naturally regardless of environmental influences (Gluck, Mercado and Myers 2008). To agree with these nativists means that no matter what we experience or what we are taught in life, we will inherit all traits from our genetics. So in theory these philosphers would believe that a man from a family whos genes may carry mental challenges or decreased life expectancy, he to will suffer the same defiencies. …show more content…

Philosphers like Aristotle, Locke and Watson believed in humans being born knowing nothing (blank slates), who received all knowledge from the experiences of life (Gluck, Mercado and Myers 2008). Its John Watson, who customarily believed that people could be coached to do or become anything, regardless of their genetic background because he focused on behaviorism (theory of the impact the environment has on behavior). These philosphers would believe that a person exposed to a succesful environment would to be

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