“What is human nature?” was a question asked by E. O. Wilson (1998). According to Wilson, “social scientists as a whole have paid little attention to the foundations of human nature, and they have almost no interest in its deeper origin.”  (1998) Thus, I ask, “What are the origins and the foundations of human nature?” Most of us don’t spend enough time trying to understand what makes for human beings. I contend that the origins of human nature must involve our nature-based Cosmic and biological evolution, and at the individual level will include our cultural evolutionary history. I have come to understand the foundations of human nature must pertain to our nature-based Cosmic and biological inheritance, and at the individual level will include our cultural inheritance. Human origins and foundations came into existence from natural evolutionary and inheritance patterns. We are creatures of Nature and products of evolution and inheritance. We are natural-energy (Big Bang) and life-energy (Big Birth) creatures. Importantly, all cultures interpret this inheritance and goes on to influence how each of us will interact in and with the world. I want to take the time to review some basic concepts related to human nature: 1.) nature comes from the Latin natura and means origin, 2.) nasci is to be born with;  eg. one’s innate disposition or unique character, and 3.) natural pertains to Nature, coming from Nature, or patterns in Nature. Human nature is naturist (DNA – seed) and is shaped and influenced in a nurturist (ENV- soil) …

The Theory of Balanceology took a pivotal turn when I introduced human nature into my theory. I transitioned from focusing on those natural evolutionary and hereditary beginnings of our species, to shifting and acutely focusing on what it means to be human being at our current stage of evolutionary development.  I will be  spending a significant amount of time (i. e. posts) on what I have experienced and learned about being a human at both the personal (Self) and interpersonal (Belonging) levels.  I will discuss human nature (human genome), and what it means to be a human being. In many ways, I could make a case that the Theory of Balanceology has been designed as a philosophical and psychological study of human nature. It is a study where I superimpose Nature on human nature. I have come to realize that homo sapiens have our foundations and origins in Nature. I emphasize that some understanding of Nature and human nature is indispensable in any attempt to comprehend human behavior, and especially important for us to understand our own behaviors. I think most of us are fairly ignorant about human nature. It has taken me a lifetime to better understand the human condition and my own nature. I now know that if I had an earlier appreciation of human nature, it would have made it easier for me to traverse life. I make a case for, and I recommend that if a person aims to succeed in life it is beneficial to …

I have experienced and learned from living that I have strong natural (biological inheritance), and strong environmental (cultural inheritance) forces that are at work within me.  They have been at work in me from conception and will continue until the day I die. From an individual perspective I am a unique person as I go through the developmental stages of life. From a normative perspective I am embedded within my birth culture. From the combination of my/our natural and environmental roots I/we have developed our private world from these gene (DNA) and meme influences (ENV). We have built our personal history and we write our story from these two forces. They are forces that at times we can find in conflict. In some conflicts it takes a deep internal battle to resolve. Burtt maintained that, “out of the accidents of birth, childhood experiences, and family situations – our conscious and unconscious responses to them – we arrive at adulthood with capabilities which differ widely from person to person. We survive as best we can and make the most of our limitations. One may feel free to be aggressive in social situations. Another helpless when dealing in social situation.” (1975) Our private world  includes the very manner in which we perceive our world (worldview), and have a personal philosophy of interacting with the world. Our private world includes Nature’s biological motivational needs, and how we have distinguished these innate needs from our acquired and learned wants. Our journeys are one of building …

In my discussion of inheritance I have addressed Cosmological Inheritance, Biological Inheritance, and Cultural Inheritance.  I now focus on Self-Inheritance. Nature’s make-up pertains to human beings coming from a long cosmological and biological inheritance. We inherit phylogenesis (phylum characteristics), homo sapien (species characteristics), and an ontogenesis (personal characteristics). Nature gives us a shared humanity that allows us to have a shared human commonality. At the same time we all have biologically inherited an individuality that makes us unique from all other human beings who have ever lived. Genetic inheritance is unique in a predispositional sense where some individuals have reactions to certain things like asthma, hay fever, and diabetes. Humans are protean creatures in the sense of having unique physical characteristics such as eye color, hair color, skeletal formation, native IQ, aptitudes, and physical abilities. We all biologically inherit the race we are born into and for many that is now biracial or multiracial. We inherit our sex and our sexual orientation. We inherit introversion or extroversion —> in some cases ambiversion. We inherit our unique personality traits and features they generally fall within the following temperamental patterns: 1.) sanguine (calm, relaxed, pleasant, agreeable, warm, and even-tempered), 2.) phlegmatic (lethargic, laconic, not quick to action, and slow-tempered), 3.) choleric (react quickly, volcanic, easily upset, and hot-tempered), or 4.) melancholic (feeling down, sorrowful, depressed, and having a sad-temperament). Nurture’s make-up  has a major influence on our natural inheritance. Nurture comes from the society we are born into where we inherit cultural …

I recently made posts related to biological inheritance and cultural inheritance.  Let us get a real debate going here! I have frequently pondered on and asked the questions, “What has been more influential in my life – nature or nurture?” or, “What is more important in the development of the life of any person — genes or memes?” When it comes to nature (DNA) vs. nurture (ENV), I have wondered what has had more of an influence on all of  us developmentally. The way I choose to view these questions are –-> Nature produces a seed (a person) that is born into Nurture’s soil (a culture). The question then becomes, “How does the seed (DNA) grow in the soil (ENV) it was planted into?” The debate over biological inheritance vs. cultural inheritance, and the role in a person’s development, has been a long one. The question, “Are we more of a biological organism or a sociological organism?,” continues to be asked and intensely debated to this day. It amounts to nature’s selfish gene vs. nurture’s social meme. For E. O. Wilson it is  genes that determine human behavior because genes are selfish (1976). However, Thomas Halerott said “men do not become what by nature they are meant to be, but what society makes them.” (Savay, ed, 1971) At this time in my life I am not sure which has a more powerful influence in my/our life —> nature or nurture. I have come to summarize the nature (gene) vs. nurture (meme) debate by saying we …

I propose that ethnocentrism is a byproduct of cultural inheritance and imprintation  and invariably leads to my memes are better than your memes.  My meme’s are better than your meme’s is saying I (we) are better than you (them). Ethnocentrism is a kind of group egotism. Ethnocentrisms main goal is to ensure the survival of one’s culture, customs, and traditions. Ehnocentrism includes dualistic behaviors that are great at labeling outsiders as different and tormenting those who are dissimilar. We humans are bilateral creatures who are great at dividing ourselves along cultural lines —> this gets us back to dualism, polarization, and divisions. Ultimately it amounts to my group (family, race, country) rejects your group (family, race, country). It can easily morph into aberrational behaviors that defame, demonize  and dehumanize those who are not “us.” Ethnocentrism can be a devolutionary process where you are bad and we are good. Or, you are wrong and we are right. Ethnocentrism can contort into making another group a subspecies. A subspecies designation encourages contemptible behaviors and atrocities that blatantly disregard and disrespect the human rights of another group.  It includes the “doctrine of territoriality,” where our territory, country, state, or city is superior to your country, state, or city. Ethnocentrism involves bias and is a major reason for religious conflict, violence, wars, and prejudice of all types. It is the vulgarity of discrimination and bigotry. I am afraid that at the current stage of human evolution we have not been able to control the constant virus …

In previous posts, I discussed how biological inheritance has its genes (DNA). Richard Dawkins (1976) will argue that there is a cultural inheritance equivalent to genes that he calls memes. Memes are environmental extra-genetic inheritance (ENV). I appreciate the concept of memes because they are environmentally induced. Biological replicators are genes <–> memes are cultural replicators. Memes are cultural “genes” that spread in one’s culture through environmental socialization and a process of enculturation. Examples of memes are: language, family rituals, social rituals, eating preferences, cultural beliefs, cultural values, religious views, recognized holidays, cultural dress, cultural customs, cultural prohibitions, political views, cultural traditions, and surely prejudice (more to come in a future post). Memetics involves cultural viruses implanted, imprinted, and stamped into a culture’s population, and they are very hard to eradicate or change. Memes are not necessarily good or bad —> they just are. Cultures will fight for their memes. All of us fight for the memes that have become part of us. Cultures fight for memetic survival just as biological creatures we fight for genetic survival.