Jesse Prinz misunderstands how cultures emerge

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Prof. Jesse Prinz asserts that, "The study of the human mind is fundamentally the study of place. If we want to know why some people wage war and others aim for amity, it is not enough to know that both capacities exist within our species. We must understand the circumstances that make us peaceful or pugnacious."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/nature-nurture-clash-pioneering-new-theory-language-blog-entry-1.1639811#ixzz335ctXNgr

Steven Pinker and I would disagree with this interpretation.  The culture of places is shaped or limited by our hardwired capacities. Our brains and other parts of our biology provide a framework or foundation which is then built upon by learning and experience. Different brains shown through brain scans and other analytical tools to possess the same or similar chemistry react in much the same way to various external stimuli (as the brains of twins do even when raised apart).  The brain is less plastic than policy makers and the public think.  The first sentence of the Declaration of Independence is politcally correct but scientifically wrong.

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