Thursday, February 16, 2017
One of the ideas I couldn't shake while reading Meno is the impact genetics could play in regards to natural ability and general tendencies. Obviously, Rosalin Franklin wasn't around to teach Plato all about DNA or the science of inheritance and the level of randomness that comes with it. I think one could argue that to a degree people can be born virtuous in that their genetic makeup can sway them towards having a virtuous nature. And of course kids aren't replicas of their parents (that'd be weird) so a virtuous father can give birth to a scoundrel son. What do you think? Do you think it is possible that the recalling of past knowledge could be simply attributed to the genes rather than a cosmic coincidence allowing people to recall things from before their time.
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Does genetics make us virtuous, or just conscientious? Assuming that genetics actually does determine our capacity for a given emotional response, I don't know that we can claim "virtue" as belonging to a conditioned response. Intent seems to play a large role in virtue, and if we shift that intent onto our genetics instead of our conscious experience then we risk losing the idea of virtue altogether.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, however, to point out that some will have an innate capacity for virtue that others will seem to lack. Though I believe that some part of this capacity is predetermined, I would much rather ascribe it to societal circumstance than biological nature, in which case we'd find ourselves in the awkward position of the eugenicists.