Rules, Perception and Intelligibility (1962)

Abstract

Cultural transmission has one great advantage over the genetic: it includes the transmission of acquired characters. The child will acquire unconsciously from the example of the parent skills which the latter may have learnt through a long process of trial and error, but which with the child become the starting point from which he can proceed to greater perfection. It is curious that Dr. Darlington, in his endeavour to play up the genetic aspect, should do less than justice to the comprehensive character of the general principle of evolution, was used in the theories of language and law long before it was applied to biology. On the whole we must probably conclude, as does Sir Gavin de Beer in a book on a similar theme which appeared about the same time as Dr. Darlingtons, that the old controversy between Nature and Nurture ought to be allowed to die because it is necessary to regard both nature and nurture as cooperating.

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