The role of nature and nurture in shaping human behavior Essay

The role of nature and nurture in shaping human behavior - Essay Example The debate over nature and nurture has been a long-standing one. It is an imperative, from Darwin himself, that genes do affect behavior and personality. There still is the reality that each person will have different experiences which brings in the forefront personality traits which may not be mutually exclusive to the genetics of personality. Social encounters would develop a person into a natural process of social evolution in himself (Bouchard, Jr. 102). Genetic engineering may allow parents to choose a child with their preferred color of eyes or towering height or a high intelligence quotient but it’s still not going to determine all the other experiences the child will have in life. As Prof. Lee Silver himself said, â€Å"if people are willing to spend a hundred thousand dollars to get to Princeton, they’re going to be willing to spend $20,000 to give their children an increase chance at life at a genetic level.† The main concern is that traits would be sel ected for purely trivial and aesthetic reasons. The possibility of designer babies suggests that physical and psychological characteristics of a child can be chosen through an elimination process beginning from conception. Super babies whose genetic make-up is specifically selected to ensure superiority could literally be bought by parents.