After reflecting and discussing our last class with some people, we came to a crossroads on IQ and intelligence. Does someone's intelligence have to do with nature, meaning they are born with all their intelligence aptitude. OR does someone's environment nurture that intellignce. When I discussed this with many of my peers, there were rather divided on the subject so I thought it might be an interesting question here. My contention is that it is a combination of the two. I think that biologically there is a certain amount of intelligence we are born with, and I feel that some of this has to deal with how well our mothers took care of themselves during their pregnancy. And I think there are certain biological factors that most certainly affect our brain development. However, I also know that the type of environment we are raised in (especially very early in life) is crucial to our intellectual, mental, and social development. I remember hearing about an experiment (conducted by Hitler) where they took several babies and placed them all in rooms by themselves. The ONLY human contact they received was to change them, bathe them and feed them. ALL of these babies died within several months. Their basic physical needs were attended to, but they were not nutured and had no way to develop. So what do you think? Nature or nurture?

In my personal experience, I would say that nuture and nature both are factors in the debate. For example, I was supposed to never make it out of the seventh grade, but my father taught me to read. So, through my parents nuturing I was able to improve myself. Additionally, I am an outdoorsman. I learned to appreciate nature itself through my extensive experiences. Once again, it is the nuture aspect. On the flip side, I understand that there are some things a person is born with that a person can not change like sex, natural hair color, natural eye color etc. Although these things can be changed, it is a combination of both nature and nuture.

In an aside to the thing about the babies. One of my dad's teachers once said that when you stop learning you die. In this case, there was no large amount of learning taking place with the babies when left by themselves.

They said on CSI the other night "what we are never changes; who we are is constantly changing."This goes right into the nature vs. nuture debate. Our DNA does not change, except cancer, but when you look at some diseases like alzheimers, thats pure nature controlling your mental ablities. I think how you learn and how your mind works is also nature. Who you are and your egerness to learn the desire to improve your self is nuture. I think the true question is what is intelligence. It is like our what is educated discussion.

I agree with you Summer in that I believe it is a combination of the two. To an extent you are born with a certain amount of knowledge but nurture plays a huge role in intelligence. How you are brought up and the the experiences you are exposed to matters. Children who arent exposed to as much or who dont have appropriate resources to stimulate their brain and encourage them to learn early on, are at a disadvantage I believe. I don't believe there is one correct answer to this dilemma but I personally think it takes a little of both to shape who we are and form our intelligence.