010 | Goldenrod City | Text

[usedlaserbeam]

When posed the question, "which contributes more to personality - nature or nurture?", a psychologist once replied, "which contributes more to the area of a rectangle - its length or its width?" The simplistic answer, therefore, is that neither one contributes more to a creature's personality; rather, that it's some interdependent combination of

Comments

[explosivecombat]

I find it interesting that you should raise such a morally-founded question in a place such as this; everything here is based around raising these creatures and collecting the badges and what have you. Battle culture, if you will, and morality has no place on the battlefield. Soldiers take lives, because that is the duty of a soldier; regardless of whom they are in their lives as civilians, as soldiers they are expected to see their orders through because the battlefield is the one place where civilian rules and morals no longer apply.

In a world that is, for all intents and purposes, based on battle culture, can you really say that this is any different from how humans treat each other?

[usedlaserbeam]

I see - then from your perspective, this entire world should be perceived as a battlefield, with ourselves as the solders, the Pokemon as our weapons, and our mandate to defeat the gym leaders as our orders from our superiors?

By that interpretation, I suppose it comes down to a question of whether we carry our morality with us, or whether by necessity we should adopt the morality of whatever world we find ourselves in, regardless of its dictates. Which is a separate debate from that of nature versus nurture, but it's an interesting one nonetheless.

[explosivecombat]

It isn't a separate debate by necessity - the concept of morality as a whole is highly subjective, leading back around to the question of why one carries their morality (or perhaps a lack thereof, as the case may be) with them in the first place. Or do you believe morality to be a trait inherent in all sentient things to begin with?

[usedlaserbeam]

Ah, then you're raising it as one application of the overall debate: is morality a function of our nature, or is it something we're taught. That does relate, I agree.

And call it hedging my bets if you will, but I don't think it's as clear-cut as simply one or the other.

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[getshead]

My, those are some deep questions to ask Johto's residents. A rare treat, really.!

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[usedlaserbeam]

I'm surprised they're not asked more often, really. I find it hard to believe I'm the first to have thought of them before now.

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[getshead]

I doubt you're the first to think of it -- though the first to question it via the network is something else entirely.

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[usedlaserbeam]

It's hard to conduct a proper debate with only one side represented, wouldn't you agree? And some might say the more the better.

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[thickfat]

are you that bored omg

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[usedlaserbeam]

It WAS a fairly exciting day. I thought I'd unwind with a little philosophy.

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[thickfat]

you even copypasted akayas text entry toward the end wwww

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[usedlaserbeam]

He raised a thought-provoking point.

...I suppose, given the law of averages, such a phenomenon was bound to occur sooner or later.

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[sfaccendato]

Bored, are you?

I think I'd agree with your psychologist's answer, myself. But specifically on the subject of human-trained Pokemon versus their wild counterparts -- I haven't tested it here, but in the games there was a noticeable difference in abilities at higher levels. It would be reasonable to assume it's carried over here.

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[usedlaserbeam]

I wouldn't call it that. Idle, perhaps. But not bored.

Was there? I'm not familiar with all the nuances of the games, personally; that's a bit more Kirihara-kun's area of expertise than mine. It'd be a curious experiment to attempt, though, wouldn't it?

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[futariniousama]

two things:

did you just call kirihara a wise philosopher

and you have way too many thoughts.

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[usedlaserbeam]

Two answers:

I decided to check and see who was still paying attention.

And that may be, but it's resulted in some surprisingly interesting conversations.

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[futariniousama]

would it surprise you to hear that i read the whole thing studiously?

[ and aloud, from where he's sprawled in a pile of pillows on the floor -]

Good thing you're not exactly a bastion of morality, considerin' how incredibly unethical this entire world could be, per your speculation.

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[usedlaserbeam]

And would you say that's my nature, or am I simply the product of my environment?

[He's up on the futon, monopolizing the space with his legs stretched out long across the cushion. But there's no one around to see this lapse in the gentleman's good manners-no one would would be the least bit surprised by it, anyway.]

It's entertaining, the utter hypocrisy of it. People staunchly advocate that Pokemon should be treated as equals even as they capture them in the wild, bind them to their will, and force them to battle on their behalf. Charming, really.