Controversy about Human Developments

 “Inherently Bad versus inherently Good”

o Humans are not inherently good because the concept of good is something agreed upon
by society. For example in some societies today, particularly in the Middle East and
regions of Africa it is considered good to stone disobedient women. Obviously the idea of
it is considered barbaric and wrong to our society. But extreme Islamic countries consider
it barbaric and wrong that our women are allowed to go out dressed in whatever they
want. Good and Bad is something agreed on by society so how can a person be
inherently good if 'Good' is not an objective concept? It is a mental choice whether a
person believes something is good or bad. A good deed may be considered evil by
another because it goes against their personal opinion or choice. Two such examples
that can be used are: Hitler and his personal deeds, and the Muslim way of life. To Hitler,
his personal deeds were to support the German people and better their way of living from
what it was in WWI, and keep them strong. There is then the way many Americans see
the Muslim way of life as evil, when the people living under the Muslim faith believe they
are doing good for their god.

 “Nature vs. Nurture”

o A person is born into this world a tiny baby with no personal opinion or tastes, but it
develops an identity and preferences as it grows. It is one of the reasons for the eternal
debate of nature vs. nurture exists. Those who think they were born with a personality
belong to the side of nature, and the rest of the philosophers go to the nurture supporters.
Nature is the belief that hereditary features make people who they are, and it is focused
on the genetic development. People learn new things continuously from the date of their
birth, and the home environment along with family members play the most important role
in the sibling’s development. A person cannot enjoy skiing or insist on loving it before
trying. Without the experience, it is impossible to claim you enjoy this activity, so the
experience and impressions make us who we are. It could not have been embedded in
one’s genes that they would love skiing.

 “Activity vs. Passivity”

o I believe that children are more active in their learning in society, as they decide what
type of play they want and go out and get it. I do however think that children are also
partly passive as they take what they are given by society, in particular from their parents.
Also their sub-conscious will make decisions based upon how society affects them.

 Continuity vs. Discontinuity

o Proponents of the continuity view say that development is a continuous process that is
gradual and cumulative. For example, a child learns to crawl, and then to stand and then
to walk. They are gradually learning how to walk. It's just like hiking up the mountain path:
a slow, steady ascent that leads to the top. On the other hand, some people see
development as consisting of different stages. The discontinuity view of development
believes that people pass through stages of life that are qualitatively different from each
other. For example, children go from only being able to think in very literal terms to being
able to think abstractly. They have moved into the 'abstract thinking' phase of their lives.