So, for instance, if I developed the skill of running long distances in the next two years, and then my wife became pregnant, that child would be no more likely to be a better runner than if I had sat on a couch for two years. The mouse experiment seems to say otherwise.
Hang on!
Stop the music!
Let's get everything in sequence.
Do you become a long distance runner without possessing any inherited physical capacity?
Muhammed Ali was physically "perfect" as raw material for becoming a fighter. True he had to train. True he had
to be evaluated in terms of his performance by experts. HOWEVER--without the inherited physical "perfection" and intelligence
for utilizing the training--how far would he go?
People with "no ear for music" will seldom become great musicians. It is a physical component of their incapacity.
Natural mathematicians possess a certain capacity for the firing of neurons and spatial coordination for "seeing" patterns.
Memory experts can learn "tricks" for retaining extraordinary retention--however-- are people with little capacity or "talent"
interested in carrying off amazing demonstrations with a preponderance of natural inclination??
One last example.
Do we really think we simply DECIDE to be attracted to a blonde, brunette, redhead FEMALE instead of a MALE?
It is innately pre-wired. And so is the grayscale of ambiguity for Bisexuals and homosexuals.
Acting upon our innate inclinations is less choice than you might think.
That's my two cents; your mileage may vary.