Nature Nurture in Psychology: Wilson vs. Mill

Mill vs. Wilson

Someone who is struggling with alcoholism does not see his problem as a concern. This is due to denial or shame, so he tends to ignore the issue. Some may believe that nurture was at fault. The person may have grown up in an abusive environment, so consuming alcohol could have been a coping mechanism. Others may believe that human nature was at fault. The person could have inherited drinking from a family member, most likely their parents. Psychologists, scientists, and behaviorist all have different assumptions on why people are the way they are (McLeod). Mill and Wilson take their own sides on this debate.

Mill leans towards the nurture side of the argument. He knows that “the human faculties of perception, judgment, discriminative feeling, mental activity, and even moral preference are exercised only in making a choice” (Mill 56). It is essential for people to make their own decisions based on their knowledge. When they do this not only are they replicating everyone else, but they are learning how to exercise their brains. People do not have to follow commonly practiced customs, so they need to decide what they believe. In many cases, parents are the influencers of what customs their children follow. This is not necessarily a bad thing since children cannot choose for themselves, due to the lack of knowledge. However, when they reach an appropriate age, they need to be given the opportunity to decide. If they are not, then this violates their rights. In addition to that, it violates the harm principle, which is defined as “injuring the interests of one another” (Mill 73). This counts as depriving people from their basic freedoms: speech, religion, and the press.

On the other hand, Wilson’s inclination is...

... middle of paper ...

...ld not be the judge of others. People should learn to be preserving, and do whatever they choose. The only restriction to that is not harming others in the process of their self-discovery.

Wilson believes that “consilience is the key to unification” (Wilson 8). With that being said, people should work together to discover new truths. They should use science, since that they were made from science. Learning about themselves will bring about new truths. Learning why they behave the way they do can explore disorders and possible diseases. Science ties in with everything that we see and do. There has to be evidence for everything that people claim. They cannot just say that they sky is blue, they must present evidence that is going to support their argument.

Works Cited

McLeod, Saul. “Nature Nurture in Psychology.” Simply Psychology. N.p. 2007. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.