Jorge Gallegos

English 1010
Friday 10 am 12:50 pm
May 12th 2015

It is difficult to imagine a time in human history where the argument of

whether humans develop their own character and tendencies, or if our
personality is something that is with us since birth, hasnt prevailed not only
in the field of philosophy, but in almost every conceivable aspect of our
history. In other words, if our personality is due to our unique natural
instincts that we are all born with, or if the manner in which we are nurtured
is what truly dictates the eventual outcome of our persona. I believe that, as
coined by English philosopher John Locke, we are born with our minds in a
tabula rasa, or blank slate, state. This blank slate is subject to the then
current accepted norms of society, but it is nonetheless malleable and in
disposition to be changed by the beholder himself. It is similar to a white
canvas in which we decide if we are the artist, or if our environment is. I will
be discussing not only the philosophical implications of this, but also the
scientific evidence of why our personality does not correlate with our nature.
From the perspective of one who believes that all humans are born
with a set of characteristics that we all share, the result would be that
humans would be far too similar to one another; something that we know for
sure does not exist. Under this assumption, there would be no wars or
sudden rises to power, as well as there would be no revolutionary changes
for equality and civil rights; our undeniable history says otherwise. An
example of this is how Martin Luther King Jr. along with Rosa Parks made
their own individual choice to risk the minimal rights they had in order to
dissipate the dividing lines between African-Americans and Whites. While
those who believe that there are aspects of the human mind that can never
be changed also believe that all humans have a desire to fit in, so to speak,
it would not be consistent with the decision of Rosa Parks to stay seated on
the bus rather than going to the back as she would be expected to if she
truly wanted to fit in. When there is a need for change, the last thing that is
necessary is to fit in. I also quote from Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from
Birmingham Jail where he states that, freedom is not given voluntarily by
the oppressor. (King) Certain groups are never simply born superior to other

groupsthe superiority first starts when someone decides to take control by

going against the norms of society.
One thing that separates humans from other creatures is the far
greater independence that we possess. Many times we may overlook the fact
that our personality greatly reflects on actions and decisions. This is the only
way in which we can deviate from the common standards that are set by our
society and redefine them or create new ones. An unfortunate instance of
the converse of this is the theory that humans can adapt to virtually any
circumstance; including the wild. According to a documentary from National
Geographic, when children are completely isolated from society, it is possible
for them to survive by being raised by a group of animals. They then
become, in terms of characteristics, virtually identical to their nurturer. They
are known as feral children. As opposed to humans, most animals are
naturally born with instincts that will help them survive in their unpredictable
and ever-changing ecosystem. Given this, only the fittest and strongly suited
animals will survive and will pass on those characteristics to their offspring,
while the weaker ones will die off. Humans, on the other hand, are said to be
fully evolved; therefore, there is no need for the concept survival of the
fittest. We are then subsequently born with a blank slate mind as
mentioned before. While the potential of our intellect is indisputably far
superior to that of animals, it is not something that usually develops on its
own. Our potential even varies within our own species, psychologists claim.
We each have different rates of learning; however, no one is born
automatically knowing their language, how to walk, etc.
Our personality is definitely something that is developed either by our
society or by our own, not something that we are born with. We can then
assume that there will be variations of it in different scenarios, and within
each culture, there will be certain individuals that have a desire for change.
But we are all the authors of our own story.

REFERENCES
"Tabula Rasa | Philosophy." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica, n.d. Web. 16 May 2015.
"Feral Children." NationalGeographic.com. National Geographic Channel, n.d.
Web. 16 May 2015.