tabula rasa?

this is one of undoubtedly many discourses on the topic... is man born preprogrammed to think, learn and act in certain predefined ways?

my impetus for this query was observing so many people that say "math is just not my thing"... or watching some people suffer calculating 16 X 4 ! is there really a brain wired for math while others are wired to suffer at the sight of a divisor?

the major argument in this theory that the nurture camp brings up is that each person is affected by their environment and upbringing.. a weak pedagogical tradition may be to blame or at least i would like to think of it that way. as a vociferous meritocrat i've always wanted to beleive that everyone was given the same chance at success. to see this beleif disproven will be quite disappointing. our brains are simply a matter of luck - yours is bigger than mine therefore i am fated to a lower perch on the ladder or life! (Gattaca comes to mind)

to contradict myself a little - i think there are obvious signs of course like the taller guy or the faster runner or the sweeter singer.. but everyone has something unique that can be rather profitable in some ways...

cogito ergo sum