Innate Abilities

When a child is born does he/she come into the world as a “blank slate” (tabula rasa) that must develop abilities and other characteristics from scratch or are they born already possessing a “base” set of abilities from which to build? While it is generally assumed that infants do indeed begin life with an innate set of abilities theorists are not in agreement as to how extensive those abilities are and just what these abilities entail.

The term innate means “in-born” or having “at-birth” characteristics and can be metaphorically symbolized, using the computer metaphor as being like ROM (read only memory) of a computer and then also the plasticity of a young brain metaphorically seen as RAM (random access memory). Also, from a Freudian/evolutionary point of view, the early stages that are innate are related to the basal “id’ and what creatures lived eons ago that are relative to the statement “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny”; wherein the developmental stages of the brain’s development are similar to the evolutionary processes of previous life-forms over the history of Earth. The Freudian “id” that is manifest in the early functions of life goes along with the development of the “ego” next, and then the “super-ego” finally. Id, ego and super-ego can be simplistically thought of as want, can and should. I see the “id” as innate.

I see the ego as being developed by specific personal experiences early in life and finally the super-ego being achieved through something like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ultimately being a search for religion and God. Freud said “…a search for utopia.” I say a hope for Heaven only for the “good’ beings that deserve it. If children are taught at a young age about religion and that if they are “good” they will have everlasting life in heaven, I believe they will develop into a functional society that is compassionate, loving, and not dysfunctional. I emphasize here the importance of religion on the developing brain. Statistics, used in the psychological field, prove the importance of this point of view. To secure this even more, a developing mind that is taught “evil” and “wickedness” leads to Hell, except through the salvation of Jesus, which is a metaphor for an “eternal lake of fire.’

I believe it is innate, no matter what race, color or language, that children will accept this stimulus of empirical religion and that this empirical religion will have a greatly beneficial effect on their cognition and behavior from a “wee” little age to an old person. Is it not everyone’s desire to exist in Heaven (fun, good times, no pain, holiness, enjoyment) forever. If only God could save the world.