Question: If we weren't taught anything what would happened?

Alex Reid answered on 15 Nov 2018:

Hi Lewis, this is a really interesting question and could be answered in a couple of different ways. At a biological level memory and learning are essential for our survival. Our ancestors would not be long for this world if they forgot where they last saw a massive sabretooth tiger or where that big cliff is near their cave. At its core then, learning and memory allow us to map on important consistencies in the environment for our benefit. In doing so we adapt to both predictable and unpredictable changes that may harm us. Not learning any of this would put you in serious danger. It is also essential for forming a personality. You are the sum of all your experiences, the people you have met and the things you have done. This leads me on to the second part of my answer. Humans are social creatures, we are not just robots that learn from inputs and outputs. Socialisation (interacting with people) is very important, if you are not taught this from an early age it can lead to severe issues later in life. Sadly, we have seen this happen. I am aware of one case of a girl called Danielle Lierow who was basically locked in a cupboard for most of her life until she was rescued at the age of seven. She missed all the important milestones and critical windows needed for socialization. Despite being rescued, and now being with a loving foster family, she will never be ‘normal’ having not received any proper learning experiences (social or otherwise). To summerise my answer: if you don’t learn things throughout life nothing good will come of it!