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I really enjoyed our conversation on Thursday because it covered a topic that I’ve been really thinking about for the last couple of weeks: are we inherently evil?

While I am an optimist and think that babies aren’t born evil, I do not necessarily think they are born with morality. I believe that morality is learnt from society and the environment that the child is raised, and not “in the package.” While heredity may play a role in a child’s affinity for good or evil, I think that it is much more likely that how the particular parents raised the child will affect his or her attitude. Babies may not be completely a blank slate, for they understand quite a bit concerning their needs and how to pacify themselves, but in the case of morality they have no prior understanding of what it is.

That reminds me of what someone mentioned in class about how the Chinese believe that babies see the world clearest but don’t have the words to express it.

For my evolution of person paper I chose Condoleezza Rice. I chose “Condi” as her friends call her, because of what her struggle shows us the determination and education necessary to accomplish great things. This relates back to the question we posed at the beginning of cultural evolution: “can one person change a culture?” One person can. Rice was born in a middle class family, in a segregated world where most people her race and gender had very little chance of going anywhere with their lives. Yet because of her parents drive and her own willingness to learn and fulfill her dreams she became one of the most powerful people in, not only the country, but the world.

Although I may not always agree with her political standpoints, I am always drawn by her confidence and her intelligence. I care about her because of what she stands for: female and colored empowerment. I know this is a strong statement to make, but looking at her life and all that her family has been through, gives me hope. She has all the makings of a good role model, and in her I see the good that humans can accomplish. For although she was raised in a society that didn’t favor her race, she stayed strong, not swayed by the evil that could have harmed her. She is living proof that people have the propensity for good, even in evil times.