The document discusses the debate between nature vs. nurture perspectives on human behavior and cognition. An environmentalist believes that one's environment and upbringing primarily shape who they are, while a nativist believes innate instincts are mostly determinative. The document presents several examples of debates around the origins of behaviors and abilities, such as why some find rotten meat disgusting or whether gender differences in math ability are due to nature or nurture. It suggests that both genetic and environmental factors likely contribute to human traits in complex ways.

1. An Environmentalist
thinks everything comes
from environment.
“We’re born as blank
slates. We learn how to
act and think from our
parents and peers.”
A Nativist thinks every-
thing comes from instinct.
“Our genes mostly
determine how we think
and how we act. Parents
and peers teach us
surprisingly little.”
Culture!
Culture!
Human Nature!
Human Nature!

2. Culture!
Culture!
Human Nature!
Human Nature!
My culture taught me to
hate rotten meat.
Vietnamese kids learn
bugs are food. American
kids learn they’re gross.
And don’t they scarf
down rotten meat in
some cultures?
It’s in my instinct to hate
rotten meat.
Humans are universally
repulsed by rotten meat.
WHY DO I HATE
ROTTEN MEAT?

3. Culture!
Culture!
Human Nature!
Human Nature!
YES! Every angelic little
child starts out innocent.
Whoever plays violent
games turns violent.
YOU WISH! Not all kiddies
start out angelic. Some
are naturally violent.
Those violent kids seek
out first-person shooters.
When they’re older, they
commit violent acts, but
not because of games.
DO VIOLENT VIDEO
GAMES CAUSE
VIOLENCE?

4. Culture!
Culture!
Human Nature!
Human Nature!
Girls get less attention
from math teachers, less
tutoring from parents.
Culture teaches girls to
expect less from
themselves in math
abilities.
Girls just don’t have the
math gene.
Boys do.
WHY ARE BOYS BETTER
THAN GIRLS AT MATH ON
AVERAGE?

5. Work of Benbow and Stanley

6. Girls better than boys at
reading
Girls worse than boys at
math

7. Culture!
Culture!
Human Nature!
Human Nature!
WHY DO I HATE
ROTTEN MEAT?
Both half-right!
Instinctively, I have a
“learning window” until
age 3 to learn what is
edible and what is gross.
After age 3, that
window shuts. Now I’m
hypersensitive not only
to “gross” food, but to
any food that touches
something gross.

8. Culture!
Culture!
Human Nature!
Human Nature!
DO VIOLENT VIDEO
GAMES CAUSE
VIOLENCE?
Inconclusive.
Loudmouths on the
internet will claim to
know the answer to this
question.
But officially, we aren’t
sure yet.

9. Culture!
Culture!
Human Nature!
Human Nature!
Girls get less attention
from math teachers, less
tutoring from parents.
Culture teaches girls to
expect less from
themselves in math
abilities.
WHY ARE BOYS BETTER
THAN GIRLS AT MATH ON
AVERAGE?
Culture is right.

10. Girls better than boys at
reading
Girls worse than boys at
math

13. (A fly watches me toss out spoiled meat and
spoiled cheese from the back of my fridge)
Yo! Don’t throw
that out, that’s
the good stuff!

14. Part 2:
Is beautiful art in the eye of the
beholder?
Part 2:
Is beautiful art in the eye of the
beholder?

15. John Singer Sargent Damien Hirst
Andres Serrano

16. << Wine snobs >>
(MRI study with wine)
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

17. % of people
who like wine
% of people
who like
hotdog water
% of people
who like wine
better than
hotdog water
50
%
If beauty were in the eye of the
beholder, we should see:
100
%

18. % of people
who like fresh
meat
% of people
who like rotten
meat
% of people who
think fresh meat
tastes better
than rotten meat
50
%
What we actually see:
Therefore, is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?
100
%

19. % of people
who like fresh
yogurt
% of people
who like spoilt
yogurt
% of people who
prefer fresh over
spoilt yogurt
50
%
What we actually see:
Therefore, is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?
100
%

20. 50
%
If beauty were in the eye of the
beholder, we should see:
% of people
who like Adelle
% of people
who like
William Hung
% of people who
think Adelle
sings better than
William Hung
100
%

21. % of people
who like Adelle
% of people
who like
<William Hung>
% of people who
think Adelle
sings more
beautifully than
William Hung
50
%
What we actually see:
Therefore, is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?
100
%

22. A
B
Which
handwriting
is prettier??

23. % of people
who like
beautiful
calligraphy
% of people
who like
sloppy
handwriting
% of people who
prefer calligraphy
over sloppy
handwriting
50
%
What we actually see:
Therefore, is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?
100
%

24. Joshua Eckert, 2018
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