What makes us human? In the video that we watched in class, the French scientist believed that one must be able to be compassionate for others and use language. These seem like easy tests for the average person, but this is not so for Feral children. Feral children, one who is raised by animals, does not posses these qualities, which begs the question if that makes them human or not. Characteristics like speaking and acting appropriate are not natural for infants, rather they are the farthest thing from their minds. Children learn to be children by mimicking what they see around them, which is primarily their parents. When a child is surrounded by a pack of dogs, then they will learn to act like a dog, including what and how they eat, how they react to certain situations, and even how they walk.
These Feral children have led sociologist, and psychologists alike, to ask if it is nature or nurture that shapes who we are. In my own opinion, it is undoubtedly nurture that makes us human. Without the loving touch of our parents to guide us we would not be compassionate towards others; we would be cold and heartless, like animals. We are not born with instincts, like animals are, that allow us to act like humans. We merely repeat what we see. We develop depending on our surroundings. If we were to look at two different children of the same age and gender, but from two different countries, we would be able to find countless differences between them that can be traced back to their childhood and the amount of nurture they were given. We are not who we are because we are born but rather because of who we are born to.
These Feral children have led sociologist, and psychologists alike, to ask if it is nature or nurture that shapes who we are. In my own opinion, it is undoubtedly nurture that makes us human. Without the loving touch of our parents to guide us we would not be compassionate towards others; we would be cold and heartless, like animals. We are not born with instincts, like animals are, that allow us to act like humans. We merely repeat what we see. We develop depending on our surroundings. If we were to look at two different children of the same age and gender, but from two different countries, we would be able to find countless differences between them that can be traced back to their childhood and the amount of nurture they were given. We are not who we are because we are born but rather because of who we are born to.
Natural characteristics that are not learned are hard to find in the human race. Apart from breathing, blinking, and organ functions we learn everything from others. This is very different from animals, who are born ready to be what they are. They instinctually know how to find food and how to fend for themselves. This makes humans appear as very dependent creatures. Whether you believe that it is nature that makes us who we are or nurture, it is undoubtedly so that these two concepts go hand in hand in our development.
No comments:
Post a Comment