FERAL CHILDREN
"In every generation, the idea of a child growing up in isolation from society provokes deep and persistent questions about what it means to be human. Which parts of ourselves are determined by biology and which by culture? To what extent is language innate? Can moral instincts develop without instruction? Is even walking on two feet dependent on cultural transmission? Some philosophers have argued that society contaminates human beings, others that it ennobles us. For both sides, the way to resolve these questions, to “definitively reveal ourselves to ourselves,” has seemed in equal measures tantalizing and taboo: the forbidden experiment, Benzaquén calls it" (Saxe, 2006).
The cases of Genie and Victor
Questions to think about:
- How old was Genie when she was found? And Victor?
- How are Genie's first years different from Victor's?
- Was Genie retarded from birth?
- Why is Genie's case interesting to the scientific community?
- Which side of the Nature vs Nurture debate do these cases support?
- What were the ethical problems associated with these two cases?
Homework
Please, read the contents of this post. Try to answer the questions above to the best of your understanding. Give an answer to each question and bring it in a separate sheet for presentation.
