[lbo-talk] Instinct

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Mon Nov 21 22:08:55 PST 2005


Charles Brown wrote:
>
> The notion of "underneath" merely tracks the fact that genetic and
> biological factors are in the individual prior in the course of ontogeny to
> cultural factors. The complexity of the interplay with other factors doesn't
> mean that the expression of genetic potential are not causes of behavior

As our comrade Justin has pointed out repeatedly, the expression of genes depends on some existing environmental conditions; by themselves, genes can do nothing. This is true from the moment of conception. Thus there is nothing "prior" to genetic factors (remember the womb is an environment too!).


> The strands woven together metaphor doesn't contradict the notion of a
> biologically independent strand that exists before the other strands in the
> ontogeny of an individual.

Is it biologically impossible for a "biologically independent strand" to exist prior to and independent of the environmental conditions in which the biological strand is expressed. C'mon, embrace the dialectic here!

Miles



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