False Dichotomy - Nature vs Nurture

The very nature of the question, what impacts development more: NATURE or NURTURE can be called a false dichotomy, defined as a situation in which two alternative points of views are presented as the only options, whereas others are available. Right or wrong, yes or no, left or right, white or black or either/or are just some of the false dichotomies that are often presented. REJECT THEM! False dichotomies are flawed in their reasoning.

This fallacy can lead to rigid and harmful rules based on primal thinking when it is efficient to compress complex information into simplistic categories for rapid decision making during times of stress, conflict, or threat.  False dichotomies are harmful because they distract us from the many alternatives that could provide creative solutions or help us constructively resolve conflict.

Rather than asking which impacts development more: NATURE or NURTURE, let's find out the multiple ways different factors impact the domains of development: physical, social-emotional, cognitive, and language.

Want to know more? Check out this blog on False Dichotomies in Education.