Human nature is influenced by genetics and environment from "summary" of Man, the Unknown by Alexis Carrel
The behavior of man depends on his heredity and on the environment in which he lives. The characteristics of the species are transmitted by heredity. They are due to the arrangement of the chromosomes and to the genes. These elements are transmitted by the parents to the offspring. The characteristics of the species are remarkably constant. They reproduce themselves in the descendants. The environment in which man lives acts upon him. It modifies his behavior, his intelligence, and his body. The organism is adapted to the conditions of life. It reacts to them by various mechanisms.
The influence of the environment on man is direct and profound. It acts upon him through his senses. It affects his nervous system, his endocrine glands, his muscles, and his cells. Man is capable of adapting himself to the most varied conditions. He can live in the Arctic or in the tropics. He can follow a sedentary or a nomadic life. He can be a hunter, a fisherman, a farmer, or an industrial worker.
The environment acts upon man through his mind. It creates his language, his customs, his beliefs, and his values. It influences the development of his intelligence, his character, and his personality. The environment acts upon man through his body. It determines his growth, his health, and his diseases. It influences his strength, his agility, and his longevity.
The environment acts upon man through his society. It creates his institutions, his laws, and his social relationships. It determines his education, his occupation, and his social status. The environment acts upon man through his civilization. It creates his tools, his machines, his works of art, and his scientific discoveries. It influences his progress, his prosperity, and his power.
The environment acts upon man through his race. It determines his physical traits, his mental abilities, and his emotional tendencies. It influences his behavior, his morality, and his culture. The environment acts upon man through his history. It creates his wars, his revolutions, his migrations, and his conquests. It determines his rise, his decline, and his fall.
The behavior of man is the result of the interaction between his heredity and his environment. It is the product of his genetic endowment and of his cultural heritage. It is the expression of his biological nature and of his social conditioning. Man is a complex being. He is the outcome of a long evolution. He is the creature of his past and of his present. He