The nurturing of natures

Susan Oyama

pp. 163-170

in: Armin Grünwald, Mathias Gutmann, Eva Neumann-Held (eds), On human nature, Berlin, Springer, 2002

Abstract

Any mention of human nature raises the question of determinism. When this occurs, it is customary to condemn the silly extremes and to recommend a nature-nurture continuum as the only reasonable option. Looking at my title, "The Nurturing of Natures", some may think that I stand at the "environmental" end of that continuum, but although environments are important to my story, this needs explanation. Trying to resolve the dichotomy of nature and nurture by putting more weight on one or the other leaves the nature of both "nature" and "nurture" untouched. Instead, we must recast these terms, so that they are no longer seen as candidates for combination or compromise. The reconceptualization of development and evolution that is necessary for this recasting is what the developmental systems approach is about.