Yesterday i was thinking as i walked back from class about just how much of my personality came directly because of my genetics. More specifically I pondered how can my musical tastes be determined by chemicals in the brain. Does it have something to do with my experiences that associated the music? Possibly my parents attitude or lack thereof to my preferences? Or did it really all come down to whether my predisposed attitudes toward agression chose what types of music I would enjoy. And this lead into an even broader thought. How much of our morals can be attributed to genetics? Sure, close your eyes and ears for a second and you can still hear childhood lessons echoing and bouncing around your skull, but what of the kids raised in good homes who end up being criminals, or worse, lawyers! Or in the case of one of my cousins, a young girl who grows up completely despite her parents with seemingly innate morals.
This growing up despite bad parenting leads into the question of are others standing up for this girl and taking the place of surrogate parents? Is there a social obligation to do so? All are very puzzling questions, and I doubt there are any non-puzzling answers.
Oh and as promised http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/index-e.html
That site has a ton of cool visual brain twisters.
musical taste is something that isn't very determined by genetics as far as i'm concerned, but rather by what kind of music you're continuously exposed to. if people you value listen to that music as well, it's easier to try to like it.
for instance, in the past i wasn't a fan of hip hop. i used to be a more emo/metal/indie kind of guy. however, my brother started to get into hip hop. i was reluctant to like it for a long while, but the more i heard the more i came to understand the appeal. it helped that it was my brother that liked it, since it isn't like i could avoid the music forever.
you bring up your aggression as a reason for the music you like, and that could be the case. however, i also think what kind of music you listen to can effect your mood. for instance, if you spend all your time listening to sad music you may be more sad than if you spent that time listening to happy upbeat music.
morality. morality isn't reflected through genetics. if anything, basic human nature is. morality is something different, invented by humans to help maintain stability in society.
now whatever basic human nature is, i'm not sure.