Circumstances make the man

It was never my intention to argue that one is unable to deviate from the societal norms of their culture. Instead my argument is that the circumstances of their existence within a particular culture make them who they are and define the value placed on them. Con's quote from Newton only strengthens my stance here as it shows that our progress is limited to those who came before us. Individuals within a society will still have inherent qualities which are strengthened or suppressed by that society. We praise Bill Gates and Steve Jobs for their contributions to technology, but compared to what we will have in 200 years the iPhone is piece of junk. Had Jobs been born 200 years later his technological achievements would have been much more impressive than they are to us today. Or maybe they would have seemed boring and uninspired. The point is that the circumstances of Job's life molded him into the man he was, and caused him to leave a legacy of excellence. The same is true of Tesla, but we'll get to that in a minute. In the first round of clash I talked about how if you were to place a Victorian gentleman in feudal Japan, he wouldn't have the same value as he would in Victorian England. In the same way a samurai from Feudal Japan wouldn't have been revered the same way in Victorian England. Con hasn't touched these arguments. He has also failed to address the morality arguments I make in both the first round of clash as well as the prior round when I speak of Tesla's influences. This is my last round, so don't let him start arguing against these in his next turn. I won't have the opportunity to defend anything he would say. Con has only focused on his own argument concerning Tesla which has continued to change since the first round. Individuals can deviate from their culture, but who they are and how they deviate is still a product of the culture that they live in. To extend the arguments contrasting England and Japan, Lolita fashion[4] is a perfect example of how rebellion in one culture is conformity in another. Lolita is a fashion trend which originated in Japan based on the clothing of Victorian England. Japanese girls will dress in what many westerners would consider highly conservative clothing, yet in Japan this style of dress is seen as rebellious. Lolita is a statement against Japan's traditionalist culture and the pressure to conform. However in a Victorian society no one would bat an eye at the Lolita style of dress. The circumstances of the culture make certain traits taboo and others common, effectively showing that circumstances do indeed make the man. [4] . http://en.wikipedia.org... In the same way, Tesla was seen as an innovator because of the things he did at the time he did them. He was a product of his time because of his interests and influences. Electricity was already being researched at the time, so Tesla's advances where seen as impressive. However had Tesla done the same things in the time of Christ, he would have been made out to be a wizard or even a God. The circumstances are not only important in determining how one will react, but how their society places value on them. Con never contests this and even makes arguments about how our circumstances allow us to shape who we are. An electrical engineer born in 1980 might be a craftsman had be born in 1880. A comic-book artist born in 1990 might be a painter or a sculptor had he been born in 1320. These circumstances define us and make us who we are. To conclude I would like to thank Con for the debate, and I now hand it over to him. I can't wait for your final round!