DADA: Nature V. Nurture Discussion

[mrdavismd.livejournal.com]

Hello DADA-ers!

I hope that you have gotten a lot of rest since our obstacle course and are ready for you next Challenge!

This challenge is fairly simple, all you have to do is express your opinion this may be hard for my fellow Slytherins just kidding!

Points:
This is a long debate, therefore there will be 10 pts awarded for first comment. 2pts for each additional comment. Initial comments must be 3-4 sentences and contribute to the on-topic conversation for credit. Follow up comments must consist of at least 2 sentences.

Deadline:
February 21, 2009 at 11:59 pm EST



Details:
Was Tom Riddle born evil or did he grow to be evil? Was Harry Potter innately good or could he have turned out bad? We heard some ideas from Dumbledore and Sirius when talking to Harry but what do you think?

Are people born being who they are or do they become who they are? Why are people good or evil? If Harry grew up like Tom Riddle would he have become Voldemort?

Participants will discuss and debate the idea of nature v. nurture and how one become good or evil. There are no sides for this discussion.

This suggestion was from thesamanthahope so extra 5 points if you participates.

Bonus Points
In your first comment please tell me if you own any of the following books:
#019 The Dark Arts Outsmarted
#024 Defensive Magical Theory
#031 The Dark Forces: A Guide To Self Protection
#032 The Rise And Fall Of The Dark Arts
#047 Practical Defensive Magic And Its Use Against The Dark Arts

Owners will get 2 points per book!


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Comments

[ex-http://alight.livejournal.com/839]

The tabula rasa theory's been pretty soundly discredited by research. We're never blank slates - not even when we're in the womb.

What science accepts is the middle ground, and what I started my original comment with: we all have certain potential traits, and the environment determines which ones are activated. The difference between Hitler and Tom Riddle is that Hitler didn't torture and kill animals when he was a little kid. Hitler (probably) didn't steal from other kids (sociopaths like to collect trophies). Hitler was a vegetarian who loved animals and hated any form of animal cruelty, and Hitler was capable of love. No one has any idea what the hell went wrong with him, but the environment (lol being rejected from art school) flipped a switch ... and activated his potential for monstrous cruelty. There was something wrong with him, deep down, because he still had the potential to become evil, but, ultimately, he DID make the choice to do what he did. He was a normal person. He wasn't born evil.

Tom Riddle never had a choice; never made a choice. His genes/brain said, "We're going to make you incapable of connecting with other people and feeling remorse or empathy." And that was that. I was actually really annoyed by that, because it violated every single philosophical argument JK Rowling ever made. Suddenly, evil is born, not made. People can't change. Everything is determined by fate. I mean, it was realistic, because there really ARE people who are like that. It was still disappointing.

He was told that wrong meant Slytherin; he chose to go to Gryffindor because he wanted to do the right thing.
Which is part of the reason he belonged in Gryffindor in the first place. He chose "doing the right thing" over "you can be great". He wasn't tempted by promises of greatness. He just wanted to BE GOOD.

BLEH, FORGOT AGAIN: Victoria/Gryffindor

[whitestar.livejournal.com]

Again I have to agree with you, we come into this world with some preset bodily quirks. For instance, my mom told me that when she was carrying me that I was a quite baby, not much moving around etc. I'm still that way, I hate to exercise and I have to push myself to take up something simple like walking. Whereas my brother and sister were rough and tumble when my mother was carrying them. They participated in sports in school and they are still both very exercise oriented people.

I also know someone who's relative has a disconnect from people. This child doesn't empathize with others and is cruel to animals, the child enjoys being cruel and laughs. The child scares the parents, the siblings are not this way. There is something wrong chemically or physically brain wise I think and has nothing to do with nurture. I think it will be hard for this child to empathize with people and animals but I don't believe that it can't be done. The child will just need a lot of therapy to help them with their issue. This is where I think therapy is "nurture" and takes over :)

Whitestar//Ravenclaw