Human Values

Our latest neuroscientific evidence indicates that free will may be less free than we have wanted to believe. Some of the works include Benjamin Libet’s research that establishes that the brain prepares for action even before an individual consciously decides to do so. This means that entirely free will might be an illusion, and decisions are made unconsciously.

They disapprove of the conventional philosophical concepts of freedom and accountability, stressing that if the brain’s activity predetermines the action, then the extent of control over the action is not as profound as people used to believe. This raises questions about how much free will one has to decide if decision-making is not entirely within one’s control. Thus, while on the one hand, there is the folk psychology that posits man as a rational, self-determining, and moral being who is ultimately responsible for what he does or fails to do, on the other hand, neuroscience points to the observation that one can be, in some ways, predetermined and one’s brain makes decisions for them before one is even aware of this.

In modern psychology, people’s personality and behavior can be defined as the interdependence of inheritor factors or inherited traits (nature) and the impact of upbringing and education (nurture).

1. Genetic Predispositions: Genes contain an architectural plan for possibly implying the attributes, such as extroversion or resilience; however, genes do not create the outcome independently.

2. Environmental Influences: It is, therefore, important for people to understand that family, education, and culture play a role in determining how genes are formed. For instance, a well-nurturing environment will genetically endow intelligent people with the ability to express themselves fully.

3. Interaction and Epigenetics: Epigenetics occurs when some experiences lead to changing the genotype or turning it on or off as a result of the environment. Chronic stress or trauma in one’s youth can change how genes are regulated and hence affect behavior.

4. Developmental Perspective: The importance of nature and nurture changes with the age of the child. An individual’s early learning leaves lifelong impressions; however, people’s everyday transactions perpetually influence their personalities and actions.

Thus, it is apparent that the dual processes of genes and environment interaction fix personality and behavior.