Are we born good, bad, or as a blank slate

[Mike_RN]

I think there's equal parts nature and nurture. If I am a shitbag it might be because I'm wired that way in my brain chemistry (nature). I, then get positive reinforcement from my shitbag parents (nurture). Would I have been a better person if I had better parents? I don't think so. I came from lesser DNA could I overcome that?

My daughter acts just like me when faced with new tasks/solutions. She has my instincts with people and displayed them even when she could not yet speak. I think I am a good influence on her, unlike my father but I think she would make her choices based and instinct even if I disagreed.

 

[IronInsanity]

You never have to teach a child how to do wrong. It comes instinctively.

 

[IronInsanity]

I think there's equal parts nature and nurture. If I am a shitbag it might be because I'm wired that way in my brain chemistry (nature). I, then get positive reinforcement from my shitbag parents (nurture). Would I have been a better person if I had better parents? I don't think so. I came from lesser DNA could I overcome that?

My daughter acts just like me when faced with new tasks/solutions. She has my instincts with people and displayed them even when she could not yet speak. I think I am a good influence on her, unlike my father but I think she would make her choices based and instinct even if I disagreed.

Researchers at Emory University, trained mice to fear a fruity odor by pairing it with a mild electric shock to the foot. Ten days later, the mice were allowed to mate. Incredibly, their pups feared the odor even without having encountered the smell before. But even more fascinating is that the offspring of those pups – the grandchildren – were born with the same specific memory.

ANOTHER EXPERIMENT: Scientists bred mice to have a memory impairment. In short, they were bred to be stupid. Then they took the mice and for two weeks, during their adolescence, the mice were placed in an enriched environment with lots of toys. Not surprisingly, the mice developed better memory despite their bad genes. The enriched environment caused an epigenetic modification, switching off the bad gene. But here’s where it gets interesting: the pups of the mice from the enriched environment were also born with the gene defect, but had the epigenetic modification such that the bad gene was shut off. Instead, they were born with good memory despite their bad genes.

(I don't have the source of the second experiment)

 

[jipped genes]

I recently saw a documentary on chimps living in the wild in an unexplored area of Africa. It really was amazing. It seems like there is a certain size population that a tribe can reach before it inevitably splits into two or three factions, resulting in a war between all three.

Their wars are bloody and cruel, btw, dismembering being common, going far beyond what is necessary to achieve the kill.

It’s as if cruelty and wars between members of a species, wars and cruelty for no apparent purpose, are sometimes necessary to develop the skills required for the species as a whole to survive.

But is it cruelty or necessary for the survival of the species. If a group gets too big it will deplete the resources in an area and the group will starve. If a group is strong with strong members then it will win and push weaker groups to less favorable areas where they will not do well, less babies and shorter lives. Survival of the fittest. What is cruelty? It is subjective. To us it may be cruel, to a chimp just regular life.

If a chimp acts up and disrupts the social order it will either be disciplined, cast out, or killed.

 

[1bigun11]

But is it cruelty or necessary for the survival of the species. If a group gets too big it will deplete the resources in an area and the group will starve. If a group is strong with strong members then it will win and push weaker groups to less favorable areas where they will not do well, less babies and shorter lives. Survival of the fittest. What is cruelty? It is subjective. To us it may be cruel, to a chimp just regular life.

If a chimp acts up and disrupts the social order it will either be disciplined, cast out, or killed.

You ask if it is “cruelty OR necessary for survival?” I am comfortable with the idea that cruelty IS necessary at times for survival.

And, like you, I am a bit envious of the expediency in which the chimps dispense their justice, without too much care or regard for concepts like “cruelty.”

 

[Thrawn]

I think there's equal parts nature and nurture. If I am a shitbag it might be because I'm wired that way in my brain chemistry (nature). I, then get positive reinforcement from my shitbag parents (nurture). Would I have been a better person if I had better parents? I don't think so. I came from lesser DNA could I overcome that?

My daughter acts just like me when faced with new tasks/solutions. She has my instincts with people and displayed them even when she could not yet speak. I think I am a good influence on her, unlike my father but I think she would make her choices based and instinct even if I disagreed.

You have a variable in there that most people wouldn't think is a variable. With your parent it was Father son but now for you it's Father daughter. I know for a fact I treat my daughter differently than I would treat a son.
I also suspect number of children play a factor I was the youngest of three My oldest brother was accountable for everything he did, I got away with a lot more than he did. I guess when you have multiple kids you have backup DNA if something happens to one you have spare parts.

 

[jipped genes]

You ask if it is “cruelty OR necessary for survival?” I am comfortable with the idea that cruelty IS necessary at times for survival.

And, like you, I am a bit envious of the expediency in which the chimps dispense their justice, without too much care or regard for concepts like “cruelty.”

You get it sir. Society has become so soft and people are no longer held accountable for their actions, its always I have anxiety or they are a protected class.

these people need some "chimp attitude adjustments".

 

[gunslinger]

If left to our own devices we are born leaning toward evil. Its easier, instant gratification, and you can basically do what you want. Living under a moral code is hard. Unless you are an atheist and make your own standards that can change with the wind.

 

[Thrawn]

You get it sir. Society has become so soft and people are no longer held accountable for their actions, its always I have anxiety or they are a protected class.

these people need some "chimp attitude adjustments".

Protected class lol l will try and post a conversation I had with wife about my daughter, Oppression Olympics and prizes were the topic

 

[Thrawn]

You get it sir. Society has become so soft and people are no longer held accountable for their actions, its always I have anxiety or they are a protected class.

these people need some "chimp attitude adjustments".

No making fun of my handwriting since we've already talked about my shaking and fine motor skills. This is paperwork at the dentist for my daughter. Hopefully it's in order btw xenomorph is the thing from aliens.

 

[jipped genes]

If a man can identify as a woman why not identify as a xenomorph? It is all fantasy anyway.

HAHAHA

 

[postworkoutballs]

born evil