The nature-nurture debate is a debate about the relative importance of biological and social factors in the construction of human behaviour. Many believe that ‘human nature’ is inherently bad and needs to be civilized. This is central to the writings of Sigmund Freud, as expressed in his late and highly influential essay ?Civilization and its Discontents? (Das Unbehagen in der Kultur, 1930). But if this is the case, then why do we use words like ‘humanism’, ‘humanitarian’ and ‘humane’ to mean something good? This is more than an academic debate; it goes to the heart of how we understand the world and our place in it
The nature/nurture debate is also a debate about inequality. It is the case that working class children achieve lower scores in IQ (Intelligence Quotient) tests than middle class children. This led to the post-war tri-partite system of secondary education. But is this a matter of biology or do social conditions have a role to play in educational achievement? How we answer this question will affect social policy in general and education policy in particular.
Seminar Reading
The nature/nurture debate is also a debate about inequality. It is the case that working class children achieve lower scores in IQ (Intelligence Quotient) tests than middle class children. This led to the post-war tri-partite system of secondary education. But is this a matter of biology or do social conditions have a role to play in educational achievement? How we answer this question will affect social policy in general and education policy in particular.
Seminar Reading
