Why I Believe It’s Nature Not Nurture

They breed horses, dogs, pigs, and everything else based on nature — why wouldn’t it be true for humans?

Our genes contribute far more to who we are than our environment. Pixabay

It’s social suicide in many circles to mention that talent or ability might be genetic. By saying that, one immediately eliminates the chance for anyone not born with those predispositions to achieve the kind of success that they would want to achieve. Naturally, there’s anger about that.

Nevertheless, from the evidence I have both read and observed, it’s nature that determines who we are and what we can do.

Let me explain.

Twin studies

I first read about twin studies about thirty years ago. In those studies, scientists followed the progress of twins and triplets separated and adopted at birth to see if there were any traits that had nothing to do with environment (nurture).

Here are some examples of what emerged.

• Intelligence levels were the same (or similar) for the twins (and triplets) and would be different from the families who adopted them. These levels were the same for the adopted children regardless of differences in the creed, color, or class of the families who adopted them. So, for instance, one twin could be placed with a very rich…