Are we born with the ability to think or are we taught to think?

Question

And is a mind a complete idea or a thought in its self a tool?

Answer 1

The Bible has many places where it attributes awareness to the fetus; "And the baby leapt with joy at Mary's appearence"

The National Geographic recently had a program where it had camera's in the womb of an elephant and dog. Both of these show brain activity. Wiki says, "Electroencephalograms (EEGs) show fetal brain activity at 54 days (eight weeks), and development of integrated brain functioning has been detected at 70 days.[7] At the beginning of the fetal stage, the fetus is able to hiccup, stretch, yawn, generally move around, and also perform isolated arm and leg movement.[8] Additionally, at this point in pregnancy, the fetus is able to bend fingers around an object; in response to a touch on the foot, the fetus will bend hips and knees (or curl toes) to move away from the touching object.[9]"

The mind is ready to accept all possibilites. However, with free will these posibilites change with each junture we come across deciding what we put into our minds, and what we don't put into our minds.

It is said that we only use 10% of our brain. I belive this is because of the endless paths we could have taken.

Answer 2

Are we born with the ability to think? Yes, provided you are born with a «normal» brain to begin with. I define a normal brain as one being capable of processing thought.

Are we taught to think? That is what the process of education and life will unavoidably do. It doesn't mean that you will slavishly follow everything but what is shown and known to you will influence your quest for knowledge. A good mentor (parent/teacher/friend) will increase your desire to add in one field (say Chemistry) while a bad mentor (parent/teacher/friend) will reduce your interest in their field of interest (example, one teacher in HS killed my interest in medieval literature which however was revived by a friend a few years later) .

Is a mind a complete idea? It can be for some yet others cannot conceive an idea yet alone create a complete one. ( ;))

Is though in itself a tool? Depends upon the thought. It can be a tool, a crouch, or a liability.

Answer 3

As far as I understand it the brain manufactures thinking! Please note a recent article

*** g04 10/22 pp. 5-6 The Importance of Nurturing Your Child ***

Scientists believe that the majority of these connections, called synapses, are made in the first few years of life. This is when “a baby’s potential future wiring for intelligence, sense of self, trust and motivation for learning is laid down,” according to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a professional in the field of child development.

A baby’s brain grows dramatically in size, structure, and function during the first few years. In an environment that is rich in stimulation and learning experiences, synaptic connections multiply, creating a broad network of neural pathways in the brain. These pathways make thinking, learning, and reasoning possible.

It may be that the more stimulation an infant brain gets, the more nerve cells get turned on and the more connections are made between them. Interestingly, this stimulation is not merely intellectual, acquired through exposure to facts, figures, or language. Scientists have found that emotional stimulation is also needed. Research indicates that infants who are not held and touched and are not played with or stimulated will form fewer of these synaptic connections.

Nurturing and Potential:

Eventually, as children get older, a sort of pruning takes place. The body appears to discard synaptic wiring that may be unnecessary. This could have a profound effect on a child’s potential. “If a child does not get the right kind of stimulus at the right age,” says brain researcher Max Cynader, “then the neurological circuits will not develop properly.” According to Dr. J. Fraser Mustard, the result can be lower IQ, poor verbal and mathematical skills, health problems as an adult, and even behavioral problems.

So it seems that the experiences a person has as an infant can have a definite effect on his adult life. Whether the person is resilient or fragile, whether he learns to think in abstract terms or is lacking in this ability, and whether he becomes empathetic or not can be influenced by his early childhood experiences. So the role of parents is especially important. “One of the most critical aspects of this early experience,” notes a pediatrician, “is a sensitive parenting figure.”

That may sound simple enough. Nurture and care for your children, and they will prosper. Unfortunately, parents know that understanding how to care for children properly is not always so simple. Effective parenting is not always intuitive.

According to one study, 25 percent of parents polled did not know that what they did with their child could enhance or hamper his or her intelligence, confidence, and love for learning. This raises the questions: What is the best way to develop your child’s potential? And how can you provide the right atmosphere? Let us see........

Answer 4

We are born with ability unformed for its identity, it is only universal in content, not individual except in its particularity. Idea and thought as defined as substance of mind is itself both tool and forming. Is 'value' as a concept existing in the unself conscious? I think not. We only know 'tool', 'idea', 'thought', 'ability' and 'mind' if we know them for their utility value, their use. A 'mind' is not a complete idea, for the same reason 'mind' is not complete idea.

Answer 5

man has the ability to rationalize..genetically speaking,if he is born from genius parents most likely that he will have 95% chance of having a good reasoning.Observations & experiences helped us in some ways to have a good reasoning.Our mind is not a complete idea...man is work in progress..thus, his ideas are also in progress..

Answer 6

we are born with the ability to think.
a mind is a tool for thinking we are the one wh control it for example we ought to think about something that is stored to our mind.

Answer 7

Yes and no.
Yes, because others have been born before us to teach us.
No, because if nobody was around, then there would be nothing to learn or understand.

Answer 8

we are born with the ability. because if we cant think then we cant learn and if we cant learn we cant teach.

Answer 9

christoph...aren u a ******* idiot!? sorry but, "if nobody was around, there would be nothing to understand"...well at least they know you've been brainwashed enough.