Nature Vs. Nurture- Debate

“Nature vs. Nurture” is a term debating what impacts the mental progress of human beings the most, heredity or the environment. It also explains the significance of a person's innate qualities against personal experiences that may cause or determine physical and behavioral differences. “Nature” is all of the genetic aspects of a person, what someone is born with. On the other hand, “nurture” is how a person develops according to its surroundings, and everything taught by the parents and the school.

Francis Galton, an English Victorian polymath, came up with the term”Nature vs. Nurture". His theory was strongly influenced by the book "The Origin of Species", written by his dear cousin Charles Darwin. His concept stated whether an environment of wealth and riches, education and social privilege are frequently passed to genetic offspring historically.

A few of the many topics that are part of the debate are athletic abilities, artistic abilities, intelligence, criminal behavior, fears, personality, homosexuality, etc.

Some people say that nature has more influence on how we develop over the years. Others support that fact that nurture is responsible for both our mental and physical progress as human beings. At the end, not even scientists are sure which affects our growth and evolution as people the most, nature or nurture.

To be honest, I think that both nurture and nature have to do with our development as human beings. This is because most of our characteristics are heredities shaped by our environment through the years.

WORKS CITED:

Powell, Kimberly. "Nature vs. Nurture-Are We Really Born That Way?." http://genealogy.about.com/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/nature_nurture.htm . September 1 2010.

"Nature versus Nurture." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture . September 1 2010.

Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin is a famous British scientist who came up with the theory of evolution. He was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire into a very wealthy family. At first he planned to be a doctor, but he then changed his mind to study divinity at Cambridge.

Darwin arrived at his theory during his five year scientific expedition on the survey ship HMS Beagle. He read Lyell's 'Principles of Geology', which explain that fossils are evidence of animals that lived millions of years ago. Darwin reinforced this argument by observing the affluent diversity of animal life and biological features throughout his voyage. He noticed that every island had its own kind of finch, which were closely associated to others around the world, but at the same time singular in significant ways.

His theory of natural selection suggested that different species develop certain traits that are passed on to the next generation (the offspring). This certain traits will allow the offspring of specie to survive in their surrounding environment. In other words, this theory is about "the survival of the fittest". The strongest specie would survive, while that the weakest specie would become extinct.

It took Darwin 20 years to publish his theory. His book 'On the origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection', was extremely controversial among society. This is because it went against religion. His theory opposed the accepted belief on the how the world was created. Charles Darwin was continually attacked, especially by the Church. Back then, everyone in Great Britain was very religious and had a strong belief in the existence of God.

Charles Darwin went through a lot of anguish over developing his theory. This was because there was another guy named Russel Wallace, who came up with a similar theory. Luckily, he got the credit for the hard work at the end. He died peacefully knowing that he made one of the greatest discoveries in history on April 19, 1882.

WORKS CITED:
"Charles Darwin."  http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml . 25 August 2010.
"Theory of Natural Selection." http://www.biology-online.org/2/10_natural_selection.htm . 25 August 2010.

THE DEFINITION OF PSYCHOLOGY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

       To begin with, what is the meaning of psychology? Well, psychology  is the study that deals with the behavioral characteristics and mental functions of an individual or group. Its also deals with the soul and mind of people. Furthermore, psychology has several fields. Some of these fields are clinical psychology, child psychology, cognitive psychology and social psychology.
        Certainly, psychology is essential and important in our lives. It helps us understand others. We get to know why we think and act in certain ways. Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are determined through the study of psychology. If  psychology would not exist, we would not know why certain things within us and others are the way they are.

WORKS CITED:

Philippe, Raymond. "Psychology and its Importance." http://hubpages.com/hub/Psychology-and-its-Importance . August 16 2010.

"Psychology." http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/psychology . August 16 2010.