The Asymmetrical Bridge : Book Review of James Tabery's Beyond Versus: The Struggle to Understand the Interaction of Nature and Nurture.

LCLF: Why another book about “nature versus nurture”? Doesn’t everyone now agree it’s both? JT: The nature/nurture debate is a funny thing. On the one hand, you’re right; it’s very common to hear someone say, “Of course it’s not nature versus nurture; it’s both nature and nurture.” On the other hand, we hear reports all the time about some new study that claims nature trumps nurture when it comes to musical ability or that parenting is more important than genes when it comes to academic achievement. This tension—between the idea that it’s obviously both and the idea that one must be more important—is really what motivated the book. I wanted to understand why both ideas co-exist.