Is moral development nature or nurture?
One of the most broadly debated topics among psychologists and academics is the continuing battle on moral development being nature or nurture. Is moral development, such a fundamental part of society, shaped by our genes or by the environment that surrounds us? To start things of we first must define the two closely related words, morality and ethics. Morality is ones’ judgement on what’s right and wrong, it might vary from culture to culture but is mainly the same for most people. Ethics is the branch of philosophy and psychology that deals with morality, it is in simple words, the principle of morality. The question on whatever moral development is natural or nurture is highly imperative because, as I said earlier, morality is such an essential …show more content…
Nurture includes things like, how friends, teachers, parents, religion and media effects a person’s morality. This essay will explore the long-debated topic of moral development being nature or nurture.
Whatever moral development is nature or nurture has not only been debated in psychology but also in science. Many scientists and psychologists argue that morality is nature. For instance, In Darwin’s book “the descent of man” (1871) he argued that morality arose from human instincts, impulses and well-developed intelligence, which are all-natural factors. Darwin explains that moral sense is the result of evolution. He emphasizes on how human’s social instincts, inherited from earlier creatures, is the foundation of basic morality. Throughout history, even earlier than some religions, humans have always displayed social instincts such as being part of a society, protecting each other and collaborating with each other, thus naturally shaping the basics of morality. In addition to that, he also goes on to say that previous knowledge on what has been done right and wrong also has helped
One of the most broadly debated topics among psychologists and academics is the continuing battle on moral development being nature or nurture. Is moral development, such a fundamental part of society, shaped by our genes or by the environment that surrounds us? To start things of we first must define the two closely related words, morality and ethics. Morality is ones’ judgement on what’s right and wrong, it might vary from culture to culture but is mainly the same for most people. Ethics is the branch of philosophy and psychology that deals with morality, it is in simple words, the principle of morality. The question on whatever moral development is natural or nurture is highly imperative because, as I said earlier, morality is such an essential …show more content…
Nurture includes things like, how friends, teachers, parents, religion and media effects a person’s morality. This essay will explore the long-debated topic of moral development being nature or nurture.
Whatever moral development is nature or nurture has not only been debated in psychology but also in science. Many scientists and psychologists argue that morality is nature. For instance, In Darwin’s book “the descent of man” (1871) he argued that morality arose from human instincts, impulses and well-developed intelligence, which are all-natural factors. Darwin explains that moral sense is the result of evolution. He emphasizes on how human’s social instincts, inherited from earlier creatures, is the foundation of basic morality. Throughout history, even earlier than some religions, humans have always displayed social instincts such as being part of a society, protecting each other and collaborating with each other, thus naturally shaping the basics of morality. In addition to that, he also goes on to say that previous knowledge on what has been done right and wrong also has helped