RE: I Used To Be A Fan But I Am Now Shocked, Disgusted And Appalled With Sam Harris
July 20, 2017 at 5:04 pm
(This post was last modified: July 20, 2017 at 5:07 pm by Thumpalumpacus.)
(July 20, 2017 at 10:25 am)Hammy Wrote: Nah I think intelligence is entirely innate. I think that -- like with some mental illnesses like Bipolar Disorder for example -- the environment can help activate certain genes but it can't create them. And I also think having your intelligence nurtured by the environment can strongly unlock that intelligence and make it appear like it has been created or that it wasn't there before and you just got 'made more intelligent', but I don't believe that's actually possible. The way I define intelligence: it's an innate capacity/potential that can be unlocked, encouraged, fostered and fed but it can't be created or made.
That's your definition. It works for the way you think.
The studies done with twins indicate that there is indeed a genetic component to intelligence, and that it is strong, but the fact is that, as Paul pointed out earlier, childhood malnutrition (which is of course an environmental factor), can have a strong and lifelong deleterious effect on intellectual development. "Entirely innate" is to me far too radical a point, considering that the science we have on the matter indicates an interaction of the two factors.
(July 20, 2017 at 10:25 am)Hammy Wrote:(July 19, 2017 at 6:04 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: The learning environment of a child, and even of adults, can and does physically modify the brain, and it is not genetically programmed.
But this is exactly my point... when the environment changes someone's brain it is still an alteration of their innate brain's capacity... it doesn't create or destroy someone's intelligence it can only affect an innate intelligence that is already there.
Except that those neural connections are quite literally not there until the brain in question takes an interest in whichever phenomenon it is that spurs the development of those new neural connections. The potential to grow new connections is innate in everyone, sure -- but that potential is weakened by an unstimulating environment, say, or childhood malnutrition. The capacity for growth in intelligence is innate. The actual growth of intelligence largely depends on the environment.
Granted the absence of neuropathology, no doubt your standard-issue human contains a potential for intelligence roughly equal to other humans. But the environment seems to shape the development of intelligence. This is one reason why inner-city children more often need preparatory classes in order to succeed in university.
