If everything is already predetermined based on our genes and environment does that render self improvement useless and does this mean that every negative thing that has happened to me is absolute and indicative of me as a person because of my genes and if so does that mean other people’s perception of me is one and cannot be changed?
Having a specific genetic baseline or coming from a specific background simply means you started with a particular set of tools. What you construct with those tools remains an open story. As for the opinion of others, they would need perfect knowledge of you to assess you accurately, and nobody has that.
2 Likes
What exactly do you mean by predetermined based on our genes and environment? Are you asserting a kind of soft determinism on our physical body and the nurtured side of ourselves? Personally, I believe in hard determinism. Everything in the universe is determined, or at least in no way free. In my opinion, it makes no sense to say self-improvement is useless because there is no real choice between whether or not you choose to do something. Like, self-improvement is something you can “do,” but it’s not like you really choose to do it.
1 Like
What do you mean by “negativity” and “negative things” in the context related to your thread? If you elaborate on this, I think it will be easier to follow you.
Anyway, I believe you are perhaps referring to sicknesses or physical harm (for example) since your OP is focused on biology.
All determinism means that is that all effects have causes and those causes taken together result in the effect.
However, the immediate cause of many decisions, like whether to marry or which house to buy are the result of values and preferences you have acquired over time.
Can you imagine a world where nothing had causes. You would marry or move house for no obvious reason.
In a deterministic world, you can be an active agent, computing, choosing. A good self help book will equip you with better intellectual tools for making decisions.
People sometimes ask is that really “choice” if its determined. Thats like asking, is the brown stuff I drink in the morning tea. Well, its what we call tea. Its no different from the tea I drank yesterday before I started worrying what I call it . Its no different from what everyone else calls Tea.