The reading of this week had me wondering how we choose our values and what influences this decision. The reading stated, “there is a good deal of evidence that human beings are not primarily driven by genetically determined instincts” (Lewis 7), which would imply that in this instance nurture has more influence over a person than nature when considering the nature vs. nurture debate. This would mean that a person’s values are not inherently their own, outside sources such as teachers, parents and (if religious) priests would shape our value systems. Lewis acknowledges “human beings cannot separate the way they arrive at values from the values themselves” (Lewis 13), which would also imply that the influences or people who helped form a person’s value system is in a way imbedded into that value. This could mean that a person decides their actions or behaviors that coincide with a certain value due to how they feel a certain person would react or a person was taught to act a certain way and later in life continue those actions without noticing that person’s influence.
I myself have noticed that many of the values that I place high importance on are from the way I was raised. An example would be that I was raised to believe that education is and should be a person’s top priority in life, and as such have always placed a high importance on my schoolwork and furthering my education. When it came time for everyone to decide on what they wanted to do after high school I was struck with the realization that not everyone planned to attend college, this thought was so foreign to me because without realizing it I had placed education and wisdom close to the top of my list of values. Although my parents were proud of the choice they did not explicitly tell me that I needed to or had to attend college, they had instilled in me that aspect of their own value system without me realizing it’s origin.
Lewis, Hunter. A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives. San Francisco: Axios, 1990.
The reading stated, “there is a good deal of evidence that human beings are not primarily driven by genetically determined instincts” (Lewis 7) It was very interest about this topic. According to my understand, it did not deny that human beings are driven by genetically determined instincts. Because it used the word “primarily”. It means that sometimes we are driven by instincts. As you talked about you always placed education and wisdom close to the top of your list of value and your parents did not explicitly tell you that aspect of their own value. I think it prove that human beings are driven by genetically determined instincts. Even though your parents did not tell you, but you already known that. Just because you have your parents’ genes. It is just my personal idea about this article. If you disagree with my idea, it is totally fine.