15.
NATURE VERSUS NURTURE
     THERE HAVE BEEN SOME INTERESTING TWIN STUDIES (SEPARATED
RIGHT AFTER BIRTH) I HAVE READ ABOUT IN THE PAST AND THEY SEEM TO
INDICATE THAT OUR GENES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN HOW WE LOOK, FEEL,
ACT, WHAT OUR TASTES ARE, AND OUR ATTITUDES ARE ABOUT LIFE (IF ALL
OTHER NURTURING FACTORS ARE NORMAL).  HOWEVER, THE SAME COULD BE
SAID ABOUT RESEARCH REGARDING THE NEED FOR A NURTURING
ENVIRONMENT (ESPECIALLY WITH BABIES AND YOUNG KIDS) IN ORDER FOR
ALL THINGS TO BE NORMAL IN OUR LIVES.  SO, WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT? 
NEITHER!  WITHOUT ONE WE WOULD NEVER HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, OR
THE NEED FOR THE OTHER.  WITHOUT OUR NATURE (GENETICS), WE WOULD
NOT NEED OUR NURTURE(ENVIRONMENT), AND WITHOUT OUR NURTURE, OUR
NATURE WOULD NOT CONTINUE.
(B)  I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT THE BRAIN HAS SOME BUILT-IN HARDWIRING 
(INNATE MECHANISMS) AND INSTINCTS FOR MANY SURVIVAL FUNCTIONS
NECESSARY FOR EARLY HUMAN LIFE, SUCH AS: HOMEOSTASIS, THE
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE  AS DESCRIBED BY NOAM CHOMPSKI, VISUAL
DEPTH PERCEPTION AS ILLUSTRATED BY THE VERTICAL CLIFF EXPERIMENTS,
FACIAL AND VOICE RECOGNITION, AND THE NUZZLING INSTINCT AND
HUNDREDS OF OTHER SPECIAL FUNCTIONS.  LATER IN LIFE THERE ARE OTHER
SURVIVAL INSTINCTS, SUCH AS: THE SEX DRIVE OR THE NEED TO
REPRODUCE, THE NESTING INSTINCTS IN MOTHERS ABOUT TO DELIVER, THE
FATHER'S INSTINCT TO PROTECT HIS FAMILY AND PROBABLY MANY OTHERS I
NEGLECTED TO MENTION OR DON'T KNOW ABOUT YET.
     AS FAR AS IDEAS BEING INNATE, I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT CONCEPT.  I
MORE OR LESS AGREE WITH THE TABLA ROSA POSITION (A BLANK SLATE), AT
LEAST FOR IDEAS.  HOWEVER, THE BRAIN IS A WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF
BUILT-IN OR HARDWIRED, SPECIAL PURPOSE SUB-PROCESSORS THAT WORK
IN "COLLUSION" WITH EACH OTHER TO MAKE THE WHOLE SYSTEM WORK. 
THESE SUB-PROCESSORS ARE SCATTERED AROUND THE BRAIN, FROM THE
MEDULLA OBLONGATA, TO THE CEREBRAL CORTEX, IN WHATEVER PART OF
THE BRAIN THAT DEVELOPED THE NEED FOR THAT FUNCTION AT THAT STAGE
OF THE BRAIN'S EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT.  WE HAVE INNATE
POTENTIALS AND INSTINCTS AND OUR ENVIRONMENT CAN ENCOURAGE OR
DISCOURAGE THOSE POTENTIALS FROM BEING REALIZED, SO THAT BOTH
(NATURE AND NURTURE) PLAY AN IMPORTANT PART IN WHAT WE BECOME AS
INDIVIDUAL HUMAN BEINGS.