And whose fault is it?
It's not the Democrats' fault.
And it's all Obama's fault!
The traditional notion, which is one that gives the individual personal responsibility and autonomy
is one that gives the individual credit for his or her behavior
and also, on the other hand, blames the individual for his or her behavior.
Blaming people for their behavior is one of the most detrimental things of our so-called advanced culture.
Their behavior is shaped by the culture they are brought up in.
That's built upon, or based upon, an assumption that we are free; we freely choose our behavior.
But a scientific perspective actually takes the opposite viewpoint.
The scientific perspective is a determinist one,
which suggests that our behavior is lawful and orderly, our behavior is caused.
There's no serial killer that doesn't have a background that made him that way.
Every New York gangster is made that way, by associating with people like that.
Our social and legal systems blame and punish the individual.
Yet these attempts to modify conduct by punitive means
ignores the person's background and surroundings which shape that behavior to begin with.
From old school prison gangs to disruptive street gangs: it's a dangerous mix for staff and inmates alike.
Research shows that learning also changes the physical and chemical structure of the brain.
Obviously, there are many contributing factors,
but genes play a small role in comparison to the effects of the overall environment on how we learn.
No Chinese baby was ever born speaking Chinese.
Did you know that?
They had to go to school to learn the language.
No French baby was ever born speaking French.
No matter how many years the parents spoke French they have to learn it.
Our cerebral cortex is really built on plasticity.
Our behavior is very malleable and very adaptive.
We're the most adaptive creature on the planet.
If you look at the history of humankind on the planet
you can see that we've learned to adapt to every single environment on the planet.
The only difference between a preacher and a thief is the environment they're reared in.
We don't come to our own conclusions without any outside influences.
We don't change our minds.
Our minds are changed by events.
Heard about them Wright brothers?
No.
They say they wanna build themselves a flying machine.
They ain't never gonna be no flying machine.
If God wanted them to fly, he would give them wings.
(Roaring laughter)
Our minds are changed by events.
I changed my mind!
Yeah, me too.
If you're born with a brain that's more effective, faster than the average brain,
you become a fascist faster if you're brought up in a fascist environment.
A good brain cannot describe that which is significant.
The brain has no mechanism of discrimination; only experimental evidence determines that.
If the surroundings that establish our values remain unaltered,
in spite of the urgings of poets, priests, and politicians the same behavior and values will persist.
If you tell people that you're not to fish in a certain area,
if you don't provide food for those people and the means of living, they will violate those laws.
All laws have to coincide with the nature of the physical world.
But it isn't the law that prevents crime, it's if you meet the conditions.
These days, rhino poachers come by helicopter armed with powerful tranquilizers, and a chainsaw.
Rhino horn is now worth more than gold.
If people are unemployed, they will do whatever they have to do to feed their family.
If you make a law and say that you're not to steal food, they will steal food, if that serves their family needs.
Any law that's made by man that doesn't fit the circumstances of reality will be violated.
Higher ideals and aspirations that people hope for can't be realized when there is deprivation and war.
If you want to go bomb somebody there's remarkably little discussion about how much it might cost.
But when you have a discussion about whether or not we can assist people who are suffering,
then suddenly we become very cost-conscious.
No culture evaluates human behavior in this way.
If they did, they would question what is it that generates greed, bigotry, inequities, and war.
They bring you up with the values that put them in power.
Unfortunately, all societies to date have indoctrinated people toward values that perpetuate those in power.