Toward a Universal Ethics Reading Response

                     After reading “Toward a Universal Ethics” by Michael Gazzaniga, I have several thoughts in mind. He states that, “…there are certain universal, guiding moral instincts”(421).  He then provided some examples to support his point of view, such as all societies believe that murder and incest are wrong, children are to be cared for and not abandoned, that people should not yell lies or break promises, and people should be loyal to their family. However, I have to argue with Gazzaniga’s opinion. No one is born with an instinct, which can tell him what is right and what is wrong, and even so, right and wrong are always subjective. The instincts that we have now are given and shaped by our surrounding. We are like a white blank paper when we were born, and then family, culture, religion, living environment, and other personal experiences put colors on it and made who we are now. Along with the creation of our distinct characteristics, our own instincts were also brought to us. One of the reasons why many people share a similar  or common instinct is because they have a similar culture and living environment. Although you may argue that each person has his own life experience, but just be honest, you and I are actually not that special.