Nature Vs. Culture

"Genes and family may determine the foundation of a house, but time and place determine its form" - Jerome Kagan

The other day in class we began talking about nature vs. culture. First off the phrase caught me off guard, due to the fact that I usually hear it as nature vs. nurture not culture. So then I decided to see if there was a difference to the two.

Nurture:

1. Something that nourishes; sustenance.
2. The act of bringing up.
3. Biology. The sum of environmental influences and conditions acting on an organism.

Culture:

1. 1. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.
   2. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.
   3. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.
   4. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.
2. Intellectual and artistic activity and the works produced by it.
3. 1. Development of the intellect through training or education.
   2. Enlightenment resulting from such training or education.
4. A high degree of taste and refinement formed by aesthetic and intellectual training.
5. Special training and development: voice culture for singers and actors.
6. The cultivation of soil; tillage.
7. The breeding of animals or growing of plants, especially to produce improved stock.
8. Biology.
   1. The growing of microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter in a specially prepared nutrient medium.
   2. Such a growth or colony, as of bacteria.

So the question then becomes which is correct? To be honest I am not sure that question can be answered as it was the root of the discuss to begin with, choice.

I have recently started studying human interaction and this topic fits perfectly. Is everything that we learn, from the way we communicate with each other, to the feelings we have for each other, genetically ingrained in us, or is it something that we unconsciously develop?

From what I have gathered many people, including myself, feel that it is a combination of the two. There are many aspects of ourselves that seem to be inherit no matter where someone lives. Certain body language, such as open palms to symbolize submission, have been seen across the globe. When a male walks into a social situation and straightens up, trying to attract the attention of a female, he is exhibiting behavior seen in almost all human males, as well as other animal species as well.

Yet on the other hand there are certain vernacular words, such as wicked or dope, that are specific to certain areas of the world. A recent study also showed that since woman's right, in Sweden, came before many other countries, women in that country seem to be more forward as well as open about their sexuality. This in turn may be seen in other women in the world, yet there is no other place in the world with such a high density of them.

Therefore I fully believe that it requires a careful balance of instinctual and learned subconscience thoughts to make up the interactions between human beings.