Genetics only dictate your starting point. Your genes also say you should close your eyes while watching a bright light, but you can CHOOSE CONSCIOUSLY to keep them open, even while going blind. Genes are not free will, they are a baseline, a starting set of instructions. That´s the error of interpretation of genetists. Even though animals can´t resist their natural urges, we as humans, are not bound by genes that influence our thoughts or even reflexes, we trascend them. And it is our duty to become what best works in a word with billions and billions of people. And that is to take every step to keep aggression to a minimum...
Concerning everything that has to do with thought proceses: we are "programmers of our own mental code"...
Very respectable the point of view but I have children in the classroom that I see their parents, and I see the child and the genetics is very influenced.
but we must work so that we do not dominate the genetics.
and have a better world.
thanks for answering.
I need to make a distinction. I didn´t say we are totally ABOVE our genetics, but I said that we can rise above some of its determining factors. If your genes say that you will be born with a disease for example, then you will.
Genetics totally and unequivocally influence our physique and our intelligence to a huge degree.
But regarding the MIND(not the brain), 90% of it its just software, and recent studies say genetics is so flexible that you can even influence your brain(hardware) with thought patterns, which in turn release just the right neurotransmitters to influence it. Or rather, you don´t influence genetics, you take yourself where genetics say you shouldn´t be able to. This is the case for example, where depressed Alzheimer patients die in a very short period of time, while active joyful Alzheimer patients take years and years to get to the same point. There are records of some of them living up to 40 years without fully developing the disease, which their genetics say they should have developed it fully blown.
So yes, I have already read "The Egoistic Gene", its a fascinating point of view. But of course when you´re just starting to study the effects genetics have on people, and you look at a broad statistic, you will see huge patterns for it. It´s because the vast majority of people let themselves be driven by their genetic influences. It´s the EXCEPTIONS you need to study to understand that we are not bound by our genetics in the least, at least regarding our use of the mind. Even Stephen Hawking was a bright example of my point. May he rest in peace, he was my science hero. When he developed ALS, he was not expected to live past his 25th birthday. However against all odds he managed to live a (mentally) productive life and he died at 70 years old. Even though ALS is not usually inherited, cases of early incisive development like his, most certainly is, and statistic say not only he should have died much sooner but he prolonged his life 9 times the expentancy. You can´t explain that from just a genetic points of view. Cases like that, of people who overcome their genetic diseases against all odds, are a combination of lifestyle, internal drive, healthy thought patterns and/or plain old stubbornness. Neither of that is coded in genetics.
I understand your point of view. I respect it, you are a very intelligent person and it shows, but it lacks information and depth on recent developments and research. It is just like when psychiatrists started analyzing how our brain chemicals work and they thought that EVERYTHING could be reduced to neurotransmitters and hormones, and they are right in their own way. And then they started seeing patients in control groups who get A LOT better with placebos and patients who despite receiving a large dose of antidepressants don´t improve that much on their depression.
That is why psychology still exists. As any good IT technician knows, it is neither practical to try to handle everything at the hardware level, nor is it trying to handle everything at the software level. Yes, I´m comparing the mind/brain system to a computer. But we have something that a computer doesn´t(for now): individuality, that lets us rise above our factory specs.
Its easy to get caught in statistics and fail to account for individuality´s role in overcoming genetics, but you are right in that when speaking of the majority of the people, genetic usually has the last word, just because the majority of the people doesn´t think enough to overcome their tendencies, or rather they don´t even believe that´s possible. If you think you are a slave to your genetics, you are right, because then you will never dare defy it.
Adding further to our conversation, genetics seems to be more mutable than we previously thought. On this article from CNN says that astronauts in space have their dna measurably mutated. They studied two genetically identical twins, and when the astronaut twin that back from space, his genes differred in 7%.
Gua i am complete gratefull with your great answer, your topic are very very interesting, but in some case is really example my partners have a simultaneus child 2 son and their father too have a brother iqual to him.
And in this case the genetics are transmite. Great information about astronauts 7% are differred is a lot modificación
Well thank for your point of view really really i grew up in a farm and study a lot very hard to be a profesional.
Well thank you so much.