Bloodlines and Backgrounds: Heredity vs. Environment in Herodotus’ Histories and Xuanzang’s Si-Yu-Ki
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date published 02/06/2008
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SummaryPerhaps the current debate surrounding the importance of genetics and upbringing on behavior is not as “current” as many are apt to believe. Though our society has developed specific jargon to discuss more scientifically the abstract concepts of “genetic predisposition” and “cultural reinforcement,” the same notions and ideas perplexed ancient scholars and writers who did not have the convenience of genetics or neurobiology. In Herodotus’s Histories and Xuanzang’s Si-Yu-Ki, the authors’ early conceptions of hereditary and social influences (i.e. ‘nature’ vs. ‘nurture’) on a person’s development inform the accounts and narratives that constitute their otherwise historical, geographic, and ethnographic works. In analyzing the texts for these conceptions, we find that the authors do not agree on the issue. Herodotus’ historical narratives, royal genealogies, and geographies reveal his stance in favor of societal and environmental determinism, while those of Xuanzang imply the dominance of heredity and innate traits.
Table of Contents
- Much of the author's personal biases are present in their historical narratives.
- One important historical narrative in Si-Yu-Ki (which involves reincarnative carryover) describes a master.
- Conversely, many of Herodotus' stories are subtle treatises on social and environmental dominance over natural and inherited traits
- Another way to understand their notions of heredity is to follow the genealogical trajectories that Herodotus and Xuanzang map out in their volumes.
- Xuanzang surprisingly does not completely avoid environment-population metaphors.
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