Nature vs. Nurture
While talking to a colleague recently, we debated the nature vs. nurture argument. He felt strongly that a person's environment and upbringing are a greater determinant of their behavior than individual personality. I have always thought the opposite, that most people are born with certain traits that determine their behavior. The most convenient answer to this argument is that both play a role. I was reading about David Kolb's Learning Style Inventory which breaks individual learning styles down into four modes. After sifting through the questions on the Inventory I am not surprised to find that I am rediculously dependent on one of the modes(Assimilating) and seemingly incapable in other areas. This is a bit depressing, but Kolb thinks there is hope for me. All we have to do to improve our weaker skills is to try doing those things we are not good at. So if you normally get a nauseous feeling in the pit of your stomach from giving a speech, you should just do it more often. After you are done vomiting and shaking and the panic attack has worn off, you will emerge a semi-confident speaker. I guess it is possible but I'm not convinced.
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Personally, I think all of our choices, values, beliefs, etc are socially constructed. We don't believe that something is morally wrong because it is, but because our society says that it is. Think of other cultures or religions who do things and think differently than others. How we think and what we do is subject to our environment and its social norms. But, of course, that is just my view on the world.