Nature Vs. Nurture Debate

“[Nature vs. Nurture is a] convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed.  Nature is all that a man brings with himself into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth.  The distinction is clear: the one produces the infant such as it actually is, including its latent faculties of growth and mind: the other affords the environment amid which the growth takes place, by which natural tendencies may be strengthened or thwarted or wholly new ones implanted.” -Francis Galton, 1874

The Debate

Throughout history, one question has been pondered, experimented, and fought about: does heredity or environment ultimately develop a human's characteristics. Is a person smart because they are in an educationally rich environment, or because they were just born that way? This debate has had many outcomes, and many consequences.

2010 History Fair
Lorenza Ramirez
Shawn Shah