Nature vs.

Nurture

 Nature refers to all of the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are—from our
physical appearance to our personality characteristics.
- genetics (biological influences, inherited traits)

 Nurture refers to all the environmental variables that impact who we are, including our early
childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding
culture.
- Behaviorism (environmental, life experiences)

Tabula Rasa

 Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa,
which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate.
 According to this notion, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by
our experience.

Empirism

 Empiricists take the position that all or most behaviors and characteristics result from
learning. Behaviorism is a good example of a theory rooted in empiricism. The behaviorists
believe that all actions and behaviors are the results of conditioning. Theorists such as John
B. Watson believed that people could be trained to do and become anything, regardless of
their genetic background.

VISIT: https://www.univie.ac.at/ksa/apsis/aufi/rizal/hall04.htm

Early Life

 At the age of three, our hero was educated by her very mother. Doña Teodora taught her
how to pray, basic arts, simple arithmetic and, of course, the alphabet. Because of his
mother, he learned about the sufferings of his family and also the problems of the people of
Calamba during that time. His mother also taught him manners, good conducts and values.
Rizal, until he grew up, was guided by her mother's teachings.
 From an early age, Jose Rizal Mercado showed a precocious intellect. He learned the
alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already showed
inclinations to be an artist

The Hero's Awakening

Blog: not a reliable source 
During the reign and sole management of the Spaniards here in the Philippines, there were
countless of times that the Spaniards abused, discriminated, and harmed the Filipinos. Basically,
these occurrences of events made the Filipinos stand up and fight for their freedom. And this is what
José Rizal wanted. He wanted liberation!

The severe beating of Rizal by a civil guard Lieutenant

 Having the opportunity of having a break as a student in the University of Santo Tomas, José
Rizal spent his vacation going back to his hometown in Calamba. One night, when Rizal was
walking along a dark and gloomy street, a civil guard swiftly assaulted Rizal. This happened due
 to Rizal having failed to salute the Lieutenant in the darkness. The guard lashed and struck him
with a sword repeatedly and severely until he fell to the ground leaving him unconscious.
The street fight between a Filipino and Spaniard

 Back in the old days of Manila, establishments such as schools were mixed up with different
kinds of student. Typically, young Filipinos and Spaniards are the populations of schools back
then. The Spaniards would call the Filipino pupils as "chongos" or monkey and in turn, the
Filipinos would call the Spaniards as "bangus" or the milk fish. There were frequent brawls and
fights among his classmates. One event happened when Rizal bled continuously and profusely
because of a school fight with a Spaniard who called him "inutil" or useless. His friends brought
him back to his boarding house in which Leonor Rivera took care of his wounds.
Unfair and discriminated triumph

 José Rizal joined a competition for writers who are willing to express and hone their skills and
talents in writing. José Rizal's young and creative mind gave him the upper hand. His piece was
entitled " El Consejo de Los Dioses" ("The Council of the Gods"). It was a beautiful piece indeed.
He was about to win the contest until the board of judges found out that he was a Filipino.
Instead of giving him the champ's trophy, he was awarded as second placer. The old
newspapers said that José Rizal should have won the competition due to the magnificence of
his writing skills. He only lost because the board of judges discriminated Rizal of his nationality.

Rizal a Product of His Own Era

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Key points:

 His early education was the same as the other children from an Ilustrado family which was
rigid and strict. Rizal then grew up in an environment conducive for learning and proper
upbringing.
 At an early age, he was aware of social injustices – cases againts his mother & the execution
of the three famous martyr (GOMBURZA)
 The Jesuits’ way of teaching, of enforcing discipline as well as promoting a culture of learning
inspired Rizal to great heights of achievement
 Rizal aimed for academic supremacy
- driven by fear of being inferior, competition, & race jealousy
 Rizal was determined to prove that Filipinos are equal or even greater than the Spaniards (or
any foreign race)