Nature 2: Dynamic Nature

Nature is an abiding center of activity. It is a repertoire of tendencies and power inherited and forming a fairly firm characteristic pattern (Mary Midgley, Beast and Man, 56). We're talking about a group of activities and powers -- a tendency to love our children, a power to be rational. These form the dynamic core of what we are. But they are dynamic -- they involve change and action by default.

It is no use to speak of powers if we do not act to exercise those powers. It is no use to speak of tendencies unless we see those tendencies as ways of acting. Human nature is not static but dynamic. Even the very idea of a nature as an abiding center of ACTIVITY speaks against a static view.

Thus, we must avoid over-simplifications that treat human beings -- or any other creature -- as something unchanging. Yes, the tendencies and powers form a characteristic pattern -- but is characteristic, not set in stone. And, importantly, Midgley goes on to say that this repertoire of tendencies and powers is influences by our environment after birth. Which means that, we act within a range of tendencies and powers.

A simple example first: we know that intelligence is inherited. What is really inherited is a range of possible IQ. So a child is born with the inherit possibility of having an IQ somewhere in the range of 60 to 100 or 100 to 120. What determines where the individual actually ends up on the IQ scale is the individual's environment. Thus, we know that children sent to better schools, who eat properly, and have more parental involvement tend to fall higher within their range, whereas children who lick paint with a led content tend to have lower IQ's.

Similarly, when we think of of racial or gender differences, we have to look at how society -- the environment -- effects the we way exercise our powers or the tendencies we express. So when we receive studies suggesting that women are more nurturing than men, we need not get locked into the idea that this is a static thing and that women are doomed (or blessed) to being nurturing nor that men are blessed (or doomed) to work in the external world of gain and power. IT reflects how our society plays upon our nature.

Thus societies show a wide variety of practices from cannibals to Jainists. This is because we have dynamic natures.