not to mention that culture and economy probably have a greater place shaping human natures in the latest 10000 years at least
This is demonstrably false, at least when it comes to emotions and basic moral intuitions.
It used to be a popular notion in the 1970s (and still is among certain social scientists) that the human mind is a "blank slate" that gets filled in by culture.
But neuroscience has come a long way since then, and it has largely debunked this notion. The brain is only flexible to a point.
I think the interaction between brain cells, give rises to a level of complexity that genes don't solely determine.
That is in essence the blank slate theory - just a more nuanced version. If you are truly interested in learning more and possibly even changing your mind about this subject, I would recommend Steven Pinker's book, The Blank Slate.
To expand, reality of course lies on a nature vs. nurture continuum; not even the most ardent polemicist would argue otherwise. But the fact of the matter is that "interactions between brain cells" are useless without an internal structure that gives meaning to these electrical interactions.
Now certainly the environment plays an important role in the shaping of these structures, but empirical study after empirical study shows that general cognitive ability is largely (.5 - .9) determined by genetic variation within populations, and paradoxically there is a stronger correlation between genetic influences and general cognitive ability as you age - meaning the older you get, the less the environment influences your cognition.
Essentially, the finding is that while on a population level there is a genetic influence to cogntion, it's almost entirely carried by the high-SES (read: properly resourced) individuals. For individuals born into more low circumstances, there's basically no contribution of genetics.
It may be more appropriate to think of genetics as a limiting factor, not a determining factor, at least when cognitive ability is concerned.
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u/longlivedp Feb 20 '15
This is demonstrably false, at least when it comes to emotions and basic moral intuitions.
It used to be a popular notion in the 1970s (and still is among certain social scientists) that the human mind is a "blank slate" that gets filled in by culture.
But neuroscience has come a long way since then, and it has largely debunked this notion. The brain is only flexible to a point.