Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Globutron]

Just something I've been thinking about.

I would normally be inclined to say the environment has most the influence,
but I have two friends - brothers - who make me think otherwise.

Basically, they are adopted from two different sets of parents, brought into one family. Because the new parents are adoption guys, they treat the two very fairly. They get the same education, the same food, the same room quality, the same presents (they each got xbox's and playstation 2's. for christmas once, for example, even though they hang out in the same living space), and so forth.

Yet one grew up to be quite the profound, creative genius, winning national competitions on mere whims, winning �25,000 national scholarships and working on a PHD aged 25.
The other grew up very... dim. Not very good with converstaion. Not because he is shy or socially uncomfortable, but because he isn't smart enough. Low grades, finished at high school and has been meddling around jobs unsure what to do since, and generally leeching off the parents.

He has obvious talent similar to his adopted brother but he never realised it and it only went so far.

The smart one is very demanding, very forward, intimidating, brutally honest and socially dangerous, eccentric and eclectic.

The dim one is all the things that aren't those aforementioned.

I kind of compare this to how Matter had a slight edge over Anti-matter and over the course of the universe, matter managed to completely overwhelm anti-matter, pushing it to the insignificant corners of the universe to huddle away and think about the things it could never be. Maybe this universal rule applies very locally and organically too.
Perhaps the smart one had a very slight edge from the get go, and it just got out of hand from there...

I dunno. You?

[Louis VI]

The coward's response? Be brave and defend a falsehood instead of what's closer to the truth? Those on one side or the other of this issue always seems like whack jobs to me, guys eager for abuse with nothing better to argue about. So, yeah, a coward to not want to fight when fighting isn't called for (other than to say, by 'environmental' you mean 'experiental' don't you? Just because two brothers grow up in the same environment doesn't mean they have the same experiences).

[sadguy]

you should read genome by matt ridley. very interesting. it was written after the human genome was mapped out.

its hard to say. im not in the mood to type out a long response, though.

[Globutron]

[Louis VI]

Two brothers growing up in the same home says squat. Different parents? Even brothers with the same parents result in one genius and one deadhead.

You don't have to be a developmental psychologist to be aware of the huge influence the formative years has on character, personality, basic orientation to the world. Just look at a baby and see how it tries to make sense of the world, trying to figure out how to react, how to perceive what's around. The first 2 to 3 years of life our experiences are very different even within the same household. A baby falling down and hurting itself with no one in the room for two minutes might seem like a small thing to you and I but to the baby it can be momentous. Another baby falls down and is seen immediately and picked up and kissed and tickled and made to turn a cry into a laugh. A potentially huge difference in experience and foundational life experience. So many factors go into who we become that a reductive look at genetics or environment or experience is banal and misleading. To what degree and in what ways does one factor affect might be worth looking at even if a general answer is elusive and an answer in the specific case near impossible.

[UknowsI]

[johnnyrook]

Well, obviously things like intelligence, athletic ability and the such are genetically inherited. Doesn't mean that if your parents are both doctors or professional sportspeople that you will become one of those without even trying, there's still gotta be some effort put into grooming those skills, but if you receive the right training then your genes are gonna give you an advantage over other people in excelling at those things.

Conversally, if both your parents are of below average intelligence, or terribly uncoordinated then, short of a genetic throwback or mutation, it's probably unlikely that you'll turn out to be a transcendent thinker or GOAT athlete. Which isn't to say that with enough application you can't have success in some academic or sporting pursuit, but for whatever you achieve there are gonna be people who could put in the same amount of effort as you in a certain field and achieve more just because of their genetic traits. But you would probably have your own genetic advantages over them, even if such traits don't give you any kind of competitive advantage in terms of making money (but maybe you'll be less disposed to developing cancer and end up living longer- something like that).

Personality is more controversial, but there's lots of evidence to suggest it's genetic, and I certainly subscribe to this theory. But a person's values, culture and world views are totally nurture. People might not always realise this, but these things are totally distinctive; you could be brought up as a peace and love hippy, but if you're genetically disposed to being quick-tempered and anxious, you're still gonna end up acting like an anal-retentive jackass from time to time, even if it's totally in conflict with your 'philosophy' and you don't even particularly recognise it.

[comm]

I hope it's mostly genetic... I'm looking forward to a day when genetic engineering makes genius the new average.

[Draz]

[Globutron]

No I don't think they're born that way, but I have a strong suspicion genetics can have a much stronger influence on how ones personality develops.

I wonder if he was to meet his biological parents, will he find personality based similarities?

Also, the way one is brought up within the womb is well known to have a huge effect on who you become. The way your diet is given during this stage affects how your body will react to the outside world, such as food supply, noise etc.

Many other things. perhaps what we percieve as genetic is actually pre-birth stages of development.

[Draz]

Genetics might affect certain aspects of personality, like being good at math or having a good spatial sense or musical talent... oh wait, none of that has anything to do with personality.

[JMO]

You are missing a fifth option. We don't know, some mix of the two. I'd say its probably a 60/40 or 70/30 spilt either way.

[Globutron]

Of course we also have to consider the 'gay gene'. That study in which they 'switched' on a gene within flies and the flies suddenly turned gay. Turn them off again and they become straight.

Homosexuality is personality, of course.

[Draz]

[Globutron]