ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author addresses the issue of nature vs. nurture and discusses man's inherent biological properties as tailor-made to provide us with the capacity for interacting with our environment or culture. She looks at the evolution of the human nervous system. The author offers a brief introduction to brain development from birth and to the importance of stimulation as the key driver of, and condition for, this development. In many regards, the brain is plastic, but in other areas it does seem to adapt to its environment so specifically that certain behaviours become change-resistant. Our life experiences are critical for the differentiation of brain tissue. From the moment of conception there is a dynamic interaction between our genetic and hereditary properties and our environment. Children's understanding of their surroundings is more amenable to modification than the environment itself or the genes with which the environment interacts.
