Are people born with their beliefs or does environment and culture shape one's views?

[Sunseeker]

People gain knowledge by building up theories from scratch. It doesn't come from genes nor does it come from inferring empirical data.

If everyone tried everything, we'd have a lot less stupid people.

[shadowmouse]

If everyone tried everything, we'd have a lot less stupid people.

But imagine how much fun the Darwin Awards would be!

[MoFalcon]

Born with our beliefs...? The very implication of that idea is fucking retarded...

Strip a child of being raised in any environment, they'd be a wild man essentially. And their thoughts would be survival, not faith or politics... -.-;

This Exactly!!

anything else is simply not true. Take the same child and raise them in different cultures or regions or societies and they will reflect that. Education is the key to overcoming the ignorance of that upbringing, if there is any, and the key to free thinking.

[Netherblood]

From personal experience I was born and raised in Russian part of Ukraine until I was 13 and then moved to US.

Let's just say when I was 12-13 I was really homophobic and I'd say pretty sexist too, I wouldn't say I was racist to a point where I'd be mean to others but I did think that Russians were superior to people from other countries and especially Americans. This all came from my piers and other influences, my parents were generally nice people but other relatives or friends of family would tell me to beat up boys I thought were gay or feminine, everyone would always say how great and smart Russians are and how dumb Americans are. I remember my sister went to US on student exchange program and she went to prom with a black guy and she sent us pictures and I was happy for her, meanwhile my grandad looked at the picture of her with a black guy and said "disgusting". While my parents tried to raise me to be nice, influences from all other sources were very overwhelming.

As example when we had an election for Ukrainian president, I remember there were 2 main candidates Yanukovych and Yushchenko. Yanukovych was pro Russia and Yushchenko pro west/NATO. I remember in our city propaganda posters of a hand with words NATO and a swastika on it clawing into Europe, equating NATO to Nazis (russians really hate nazis cause of WW2). Kids at school would ask other kids "who would you vote for" if you answered Yushchenko they'd beat you up ( we were 12-15 btw).


When I was 13 we moved to a liberal state in US, just like my dad I wanted to be a scientist ( though ended up being mechanical engineer), so I had mostly "nerdy" friends who were usually nice people and then when interacting online I usually ended up being friends with nice and intelligent people. It was easier for me to connect with nicer people because my parents raised me to be nice but in a traditional way like "never hit a girl and be a gentlemen". Over time just like all my friends I was pretty liberal in most my views. Majority of my high school science teachers that I looked up to were also liberal and then same in college which influenced me further.

I didn't go to college instantly after high school due to money issues, so recent presidential elections were during my senior year. Topics like building the wall and phrases like "clean coal" were giant memes for a lot of professors, and they would openly make jokes about those topics during classes. In some classes it was relevant to the class and professors would explain why going back to using coal more is dumb. I also remember a professor going on a rant about how its dumb that under new tax law tuition waivers that you often get when you go for master's degree will be taxed like income. I think things like that influenced people a lot, when you see someone solve insane equations or skip 3 steps at a time doing integration you are impressed by their intelligence and tend to value their opinions more.

I don't think i'm homophobic, sexist or racist anymore at least I hope I'm not and try my best not to be. Thinking back to how I acted and what I thought when I was 13 kinda disgusts me. I did a completely 180 due to change of influences and environment around me.

My point here is that if I stayed in Ukraine I think I'd be completely different person with different views.

[Zaktar]

It has to be a mix, but one which heavily favors environment. Temperament can be bred for in other animals, seems reasonable to guess that it could be bred for in humans, and it seems equally reasonable that certain temperaments align with certain belief structures more easily. That said obviously the vast majority of your views are going to come from your environment. If a genetically identical version of you were raised in a hunter-gatherer culture your views would be radically different.

[wargone]

Humans are born as Tabula rosa - an emty tablet. We are not BORN with Any belives, we are not born with rasismen, sexisme or any hate towards others.
- as a daycare teacher, i can tell you humans are born If anything with Love and an need To seek other out in a social matter.
What we know and believe is all based on what we where thought. So it all environment, social constructivism, our reality is based on interactions with others

[Lochton]

No, you aren't born with any belief or religion. All that is molded and shaped around you, to influence you. You are than to embrace or alter what you like to see.

[Synros]

Ideological beliefs yes, but what about other things like someone's view on aesthetics? Maybe a straight guy views woman as more attractive, a gay guy views men as more attractive. It's not clear to me that there are "gay genes" or if it's influenced by culture.

In ultra rare exceptions, yes. But for the most part, your sexuality or gender identity is not a "belief".

[Saucexorzski]

The body is already designed, though different. the mind takes shape as we acquire memories. The memories will determine what we love and what we hate. ones world view is very much influenced by ones environment, but the environment does not shape all of us the same way.

[PC2]

In ultra rare exceptions, yes. But for the most part, your sexuality or gender identity is not a "belief".

Yeah it's not a belief. I was just wondering if culture could reshape all of our biases or if there is some genetic biases that could never be altered.

[palaron14]

i feel like its a mix of both? I believe that some people are predisposed to certain types of thinking/mentalities and that depending on the kind of environment and culture u grew up around, youre either going to feed into that predisposition or have it challenged. I grew up in a religious muslim household with pretty rigid values and my mom always would want me to be the ''good'' muslim girl every parent with her type of thinking hopes for etc and yet I am the complete opposite of almost everything my family raised me to be. I fully support equality for LGBT people and am bisexual myself (my poor mother would freak if she knew about that second part), I think religion is a joke, and I share maybe a total of 2 beliefs with my parents regarding our worldview

[mojojojo202]

If everyone tried everything, we'd have a lot less stupid people.

You would also have practically no society or civilization in any sense that we'd recognise...

[HitRefresh]

I can't believe this is a discussion.

[Donald Hellscream]

No, as infants we are practically a blank slate that soaks up imprints from the world around us and as we grow older our views and understanding how the world works grows as our brain fully develops, they idea that our brain is fully developed at birth is mindboggling stupid.

[Powerogue]

Babies don't have beliefs.

Doesn't mean some people won't try.



Childhood indoctrination is wrong. I was a late bloomer, but I'd say I started being able to actually confidently make my own decisions around 14-16. Before that, I believed what I was told because I didn't have developed critical faculties yet.

I'd say some things about me shaped my experiences. Being on the autism spectrum meant I had more time alone which I spent reading and thinking. It in no way mandated my beliefs though.

[Delekii]

It has to be a mix, but one which heavily favors environment. Temperament can be bred for in other animals, seems reasonable to guess that it could be bred for in humans, and it seems equally reasonable that certain temperaments align with certain belief structures more easily. That said obviously the vast majority of your views are going to come from your environment. If a genetically identical version of you were raised in a hunter-gatherer culture your views would be radically different.

It's not a mix, in that there is no intrinsic belief in the mind of a child before someone puts it there. Although as I read your post again its possible that you're saying the same thing in another way.

People may be born with the propensity for belief or not, but the actual form of those beliefs is entirely environmental.

[xChurch]

I think your genetics can predispose you to certain beliefs, but without some external forces pushing you to believe something, you otherwise wouldn't. If you raised a child in complete isolation, they would have some kind of worldview, but the odds of it being anything similar to most humans outside of some basic ideas would be quite small.

[Crillam]

Let's assume that a baby with christian parents was born & left on an island and raised by monkeys. Do you think he will be christian?

There is your answer.

No, but he would be a monkey fucker for sure.

[Sunseeker]

You would also have practically no society or civilization in any sense that we'd recognise...

*shrug*

/10mehs

[MidnyteTV]

Environment and culture definitely shape people's views. But you would have to look at certain things about certain specific views that shape them the most.

For instance, I know people in high school that were apolitical (didn't know or care about politics) that went to college and became full blown liberals.

I also know people who didn't know shit about politics but just regurgitated their parents conservative views.

I also read a study (googling it as I write this) that showed that people who are conservative tend to have different emotional patterns than liberals. So I do feel that in some way people are wired in their brains to be a certain way.