Nature And Nurture Argument Analysis

Is human behaviour, including the propensity for violence, acquired or innate? The supposed dichotomy between nature and nurture captures much of modern thought. Rousseau’s tabula rasa—the notion that each person begins as a blank canvas with no inborn characteristics or propensities—is an extreme expression of the nurture argument. Rousseau maintained that human identity is not inherent in every human being and is shaped only by lived experiences (cite). His view and less extreme arguments that favour nurture over nature maintain that violence and warfare are learned behaviours. If an individual has a violent constitution, nurture arguments say that social and environmental circumstances account for that individual’s makeup. Nurture arguments

Huge disparities in wealth exist between the Alliance and the territory occupied by the Ngumi guerillas. The economic disparity contributes to war between the two nations but does not appear to be a root cause because both societies see violent conflict not only as inevitable but also as acceptable. The citizens of both nations “couldn't be shocked by death or violence” (cite) and simply acknowledge violence as an everyday event. Haldeman has created two societies that differ economically but have common cultures of violence, and he has not attributed the violent leanings of either group of citizens to economic conditions. He offers many examples of how diverse subsets of each society are inherently aggressive. Military technology plays a part in this with “kids fascinated by machines, fascinated by war.” (cite). Violence is depicted as a fundamental aspect of human culture. Soldiers are idolized by children in the same way that children idolize superheroes. War also takes the place of sports, with citizens following their favorite units and soldiers’ wartime progress in the news. Haldeman conveys that the obsession with war and violence is rooted in people’s personalities. Violence originates with the individual and not with society. Society is the sum total of the individuals who comprise it, and, as Haldeman portrays it, many intrinsically aggressive people come together to promote an environment where war is perpetual. In the result, unending violence is treated as normal by the characters in Forever Peace. This normalization can be explained by evolutionary mechanisms that contribute to the prevalence of