When we try to psychoanalyze life on earth we often end up arguing whether something is genetically or culturally inherited. I believe the juxtaposition is rather silly. Everything exists as a result of both. Their effects intertwine, spanning across time and space. Trying to isolate nurture from nature is like trying to pick out the eggs from a cake mix. It is improbable to happen.
False Dichotomy
The main reason many people fall into this logical fallacy is due to the simplifying nature of the human mind. Thinking takes effort. This is why we have invented Evil vs Good, Nature vs Nurture, Reward vs Punishment. We think that there are only two options in regards to how we evaluate something because considering more options messes up with our heads.
Life is never about black or white. Life is all about shades of gray. A recipe of different ingredients that are blend together in different proportions in order to deliver different cake flavors. No cake is made out of only flour or sugar.
The Epigenetic Mixing Pot
Genes don't just pop out of nowhere. Same applies to behavior. Epigenetics teach us that changes in organisms happen all the time due to different gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. The process takes a long or short time depending on what kind of cake nature is preparing.
Some of nature's cakes need more genetic steering before adding nurturing. Some others rely more on nurturing. Much like any steering pot, size matters in regards to how something gets mixed.
Nature is a psychotic cook with unpredictable mood swings
Depending in what goes around her, Mother Nature decides how to go about her cake mixing,... or not. If there are too many stress agents, nature strengthens the genetics part. If she feels "OK" then culture is added plentifully. Heck, everything can be just fine and Mother Nature might decide to make her own mixing for no reason whatsoever.Quantity Over Quality
Being such a sloppy cook nature decides to make thousands, even millions of different cakes without paying too much attention on how the ingredients mix. She figures that if she makes many, at least some of them will actually turn out good. And this is exactly what we observe in our phylogenetic trees. 99.9% of all species that ever existed are now extinct.
Final Word
We don't see ourselves going crazy about baking soda, sugar, eggs or salt when making a cake. We know that if we screw up any of these ingredients then our cake will suck. We are more moderate in our approach because we understand the dynamics of baking. We acknowledge how important each ingredient is in order to construct a unique composite. Nature and Nurture work alongside thousands of constituents in order to create, preserve and propagate an organism. They cannot be separated, only observed as part of a greater sum.
Interesting perspective. Trying to understand a complex phenomena, our first approach is often to split it into parts. In this case we see the process of evolutionary change operating on different substrates of reality and so we tend to explore them independently. But eventually we should move to reconstruct an integrated view that considers the dynamic interplay between all parts.
Nicely put. I agree
Very interesting post, you have made a great comparison.
thank you
I guess this apply well to the posts we are creating, or pretty much every aspects of our lives. We are all told to hustle, hustle, hustle. And when we are tired, we are told to hustle even more. But truly, we often don't take the time to pause and reflect for a moment on the effectiveness and efficiency of our work.
Results and effort are not always in a linearly correlated.
That of course goes beyond just baking cake. Good analogy anyway!
Well said
I always try to learn from cake, but by the time the lecture starts I have already gobbled down Professor Cakington.
lol
Cakes don't grow in nature.
no shit Sherlock
A very interesting read which touced on the way we see thngs, thanks
thank you
welcome.
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A very interesting read, thanks for sharing this.
thank you for reading.
VERY nice post, its always good to read something like this after waking up, gives a good push to start the day
you've always made me want to bake a cake....not sure if that was the goal, but thats whats going to happen now
make a banana one.
and don't spill your coffee
Im awful at banana cakes !!! banana anything really.... they always come out flat , there must be too much gravity in my apartment...
And I just had raspberry tea...and didnt spill a drop ! :-p
make sure your baking powder is plentiful. Also, don't add too many bananas. Also, drain as much "juice" you can when you mash them up. I also like to leave the oven a bit open on top for humidity to escape.
:)
mmmmm raspberry tea. hard to find good quality on those.
I agree - nature and nurture always work to form the final personality of a person. Certain inherent characteristics come as part of nature (inherited from parents genes) but a lot that forms the character of a person is actually picked up from nurturing received from parents/friends/peers/society/ religion/literature and many other things. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful blog. Upvoted
Upvoted.
I would be honored if take a look at my latest blogs when you have time. Your views, experiences and comments on the subject would be very welcome. Thanks
Thank you for your comment. Sure, I can take a look.
we can learn ourselves :D
always
We need to take a step back and take in a broader view.
My only real problem with using the "genetic inheritance" argument, even if it is true in a particular instance, is that for most people it becomes a crutch, a limitation and excuse when applied to them. Just because you are born with something, it doesn't mean you cannot change it.
It can change but not always. This one is a bit trickier when it comes to genetic diseases with heavy predisposition. I am talking more about human constructs like I.Q.
I agree, but I see no value in labeling something as genetic. You can change it or you can't, but that label destroys your chances right off the bat.
And since science is the new religion, I see no reason to hold to their paradigm, which will inevitably change again, and soon.
Indeed, but I needed to label it something in order to make the post. Language is important :)
I agree again:)
Too bad I'm not a native speaker in English (or even a native reader or writer, ha ha), but as far as I understood, this was interesting. Even though it's easy to say this, as it goes pretty close to how I personally see things too.
Not only about baking, but other stuff too (ha..ha)
i am not a native speaker or writer but I think I can get my message across.
Ah, true, most of us aren't.
To be honest, there is always big risks of misunderstandings, but I truly hope that I and most of us have understood right :)
I'm not trying to accuse you for anything, so please don't take this badly.
nah, I see what you mean. no worries
Cool Timberland cake !!
lol. i knew somebody would notice.
nice post...
...And like the michelin 5 star chef, mother nature is a master at baking, she needs no recipe to follow to create perfection from several ingredients, we are the product of millions of years of tweaking a recipe, we are the expression of mother nature herself. What is our purpose? Our purpose is to be conscious, our purpose is to protect her at all costs, if we don't fulfill that purpose she wont be happy with her creation and she'll start from scratch with a new recipe, one that will be better than its predecessor, and will be fit for purpose.
Thanks @kyriacos , I can see you back to your intelligent philosophical self, don't let your little sister ever blog on this account again! :P (jokes)
look forward to your next entry.
Mother Nature doesn't care either way about her cake creations. She cooks for her own pleasure. She might as well throw them out of the window once they are done.
:D
I offer variety. It is good to disagree in some topics. Run away from those whom you find to agree on everything.
See I interpreted your post a completely different way, looking around to see all of mother natures creations you can deduce that she does care, there is beauty in all of her creations, there's symmetry and there's a natural symbiosis that wouldn't exist without careful consideration and care, we are conscious beings because she cares and wants us to know she cares, it's us who don't care trying to undo the millions of years hard work she's put in. You dont want to be alive the days that mother nature decides to stop caring my friend, and those days are fast approaching if we don't right the wrongs our species has committed.
The personification of "Mother Mature" has always freaked me out :p It's something that started from a sensationalized metaphor and came to be given god-like properties. Does mother nature care or does it not care? Well, we know that each individual organism cares for its own survival. We also know that there are so many contributors that if you mess up with their balance you can set off a chain reaction. Natural symbiosis exists because what didn't compromise became extinct. Basically, you only get to know what works and what is more efficient. Also, there are endless combinations of genes and environmental factors so some will obviously get better results than others. I believe that suggesting a conscious entity that cares for her own pleasure, or cares about us, or takes revenge, is misleading. I know I sound like not much fun and @kyriacos I certainly enjoyed your article and your humorous parallelism. I'm mostly referring to debates in a more serious tone on mother nature's intents. It just doesn't make sense to me.
I think one of my disadvantages in conversations like these is my understanding of the universe itself, i was using the term "mother nature" in its metaphorical sense in reality i do believe the universe itself is concious, maybe not always but the universe as we know it, And just as our conscious selves try to use science and technology to try make sense of who we are and why we are here, the universe has been trying to do that ever since its gained conciousness, we are a result of that, we are part of the universe, the evolutionary expression of conciousness, its our job to make sense of all of this and science is the way we do that, but science is not finite so to believe in science is to be open minded enough to accept all possibilities even those that have yet to be understood. Yes I accept the possoblility that natural symbiosis exists because what didn't compromise became extinct and at the same time I accept the possibility that we are the product of a universe which is trying to understand itself, and personally I fond comfort in believing the latter :) thanks for your comment @elemenya
Well baked !
oh, nice one
Good post! We are all unique and different. It is the only one in the world. Because of the hundreds of millions of sperm, only one reached the goal. In the end, was born a Man. And if Fate decided differently, neither I nor You just were not born to the light.
It seems to me that to me a lot of chilli and spices. Even too much than necessary :=)))))
indeed. and way too often as well
Shit coloured stuff can still be sweet.
I enjoy the great majority of your posts and sometimes I'm amazed to see how many articles you can publish in a week!
And yet they are always well written and well researched. For my posts I take at least 2-3 days to find the time to research, write, correct and publish (if the article doesn't turn up crap, in that case I'll have to start all over again)... So Kudos for you!
But since I'm curious, do you mind sharing some details of your creative process? :-)
Thank you.
I don't do research. I used to read a lot. A book every few days. Now. I don't do as much other than audio books when I walk. If I read something online or have a conversation with a friend, I get inspired to write my opposing view and I post it here. I write a post a day. This is more like a commitment to myself.
Understood. Another question if I may, do you think posting once a day will influence the quality of your posts? I mean, my goal is to reach as many people as possible to share some concepts or notions I learned or I am passionate about, but I want to communicate them in the best way possible. I'm afraid posting so often will lower the quality of my posts over time...As a veteran do you have an opinion on this matter? Thank you :-)
Commenting is your best shot at the beginning. If you don't comment your posts will not get visibility. Quality does matter but it comes after you create some spontaneity in post replying. I don't consider all my posts to be the same quality. Writing is more like catharsis I think.
Well, I completely agree. Sometimes (if not always) it's better to ear someone else's opinion to improve. I guess I should be less strict on the way I produce my work and maybe the whole process will be much more easier. Thanks for everything, I'll wait for your next post :-)
yeap. just "produce".
For me everything is shades of grey... and ego creates the good & bad, right and wrong. As in I'm here and I'm right, so therefore "they" are there and wrong - in an effort to make itself feel secure and safe in its footing.
Deep post. I like it. :)
nicely put. thank you
I think the main cooks in my particular case, this is my Mom and Dad. However it turns out that they didn't choose the ingredients for me, and used what nature had prepared. Or, still, they had the opportunity to choose at least half of the filling, in each other :)
:)
You speak of nature vs nurture as a means of creating functional species or element of our world, but isn't that itself looking not at shades of grey, but at black and white composition. This view is part of the false dichotomy of evil/good, because this particular dichotomy exists because we observe other things as you say, as a mixture of nature and nurture that break the law somehow to make unlawful progress or advancement and not as simply nature or simply nurture that commits good or evil acts. But the thing is that evil and good, nature and reward or other dichotomies are as you say intertwined within us, but we are conscious of it, so our simplified thinking is not false dichotomies in which we blindly believe, but the lack of knowledge on how to act when we reach unknown areas that are not part of our routine and daily life. To us humans, good is a product of intertwined nature and nurture that is routinized and evil is product of nature and nurture that is not routinized. I think that we must not abandon simplified thinking which in a way gives us formal security, but accept the chaos outside of this formality and not be afraid of results that will at first seem as something foreign even to nature/nurture dichotomy. We should have attitude of looking at nature itself as something that is still in progress of being built, rather than as walls that surround us from the breeze of the unknown.
-Rust Cohle lol
I mention specifically that there are plenty more constituents taking place to the point it makes them dichotomy irrelevant/non-existent
yes I know, but I add to it by saying that everybody knows that there is a point that makes these dichotomies irrelevant/non-existent, but still these dichotomies prevail (and then I say and here we disagree), that these dichotomies prevail not because of our lack of knowledge, but precisely because of our extra knowledge, that tells us that without this constraints (this is what you also say in response to anarchospace, when you say "language is important") that make frame of our everyday formality, too much chaos would seep into our reality.
yeah but wouldn't you agree that nature and nurture mingle together to the point they fuse with each other?
fuse/intertwine, tomayto/tomahto
"the simplifying nature of the human mind" goes a long way towards explaining why humans are so seemingly eager to follow a "leader". i.e Bill Gates made a lot of money developing an operating system so he MUST be a genius at everything, no flaws or incorrect assumptions in anything he says or does.
yeap. it could be literally anyone else from that era developing an operating system and just didn't have the same luck.
So what you're saying is that Bill Gates is an example of the adage that "Even a Blind Squirl (like Bill Gates) finds a nut now & then?" ;-)
;) exactly
First, let me says thanks for the upvote, but don't upvote this if you like the discussion, I'm much more interested in intelligent engagement.
Do you think that tendency to simplify explains why so many people will just blindly latch on to someone and think of them as the most brilliant person to ever float 6" above the face of the planet?
Einstein knew a little about physics but I certainly wouldn't ask him what the secret to a happy & successful marriage was.
Mark Cuban knows how to squeeze money from a stone but I wouldn't read a book from him about humility. Truth be told there's not a book he could "author" that I'd bother reading.
People here, especially new ones will swarm around a whale or someone who consistently hits the Hot or Trending pages, taking every belch and fart as piece of transcendental wisdom handed down from the heavens. . (I'll admit to having stepped in that for the first few weeks.)
yes. our minds guide our desires. When we need something, the brain will just sum up with a hasty narrative and just deliver.
He got lucky. right place at the right time. He was the person who just pushed the tipping point. Sure, he knew about the subject matter as much as he knew about marriage. failing is the best teacher.
many authors claim they know and do things post-hoc of their actions. I will only read advice from someone writing a book about success, starting dead broke in a shed in Africa. by the 5th book, if he becomes a millionaire, then I will consider his ways. < my next post
yes. 90% of comments even mine are bullshit..people trying to get attention. I don't claim to be wise. I just like to read and write about how I digested that material. I am no writer. I am barely a designer.
Oh, see now I can't find anything on your blog about ,"I am barely a designer".
I spent 25+ years in mechanical design in the US Auto Industry, starting on a drafting board.
this is very interesting post and well written as well...
Learning a lot from you.. Thanks for sharing :)
thank you man. I am glad
Great read @kyriacos (((-:
For sure, Mother Nature is the best teacher but what kind of students are we...?!
thank you.
the wayward-kind ones
'Life is all about shades of gray.'
Yes, all fifty of them! ;D
you just couldn't help yourself huh? :D
Itan pano pou tis dinameis mou hahaha... xD
::|
surrender, resistance is futile.
Thank you for shedding light on the true meaning of nihilism, that is, the acceptance of the fact that life will fuck you anyway, so you may as well enjoy it, lol.
:'D
@kyriacos, look what they sent me —
SCIENCE-Trail Weekly Newsletter Week of June 26th!
Thank Your very much for support beginner=))))))
my pleasure! i am glad you are doing so well already!
=)))))
This was very well thought out. I enjoyed they read.
thank you
this is what i like the most "Nature and Nurture work alongside thousands of constituents in order to create, preserve and propagate an organism. They cannot be separated, only observed as part of a greater sum. "