Over the years, I would tell my two daughters that half of my genetics is half of their genetics – but we don’t know which half. My daughters always felt I took genetics too seriously when trying to explain personality, mental maladies, academic achievement, and more. Kathryn Paige Harden, a Professor of Psychology at University of Texas at Austin in her elegant book takes genetics and equality seriously. Her progressive politics informs her exploration of heredity and egalitarianism. Harden states that, “the widespread tendency to ignore the existence of genetic differences between people has hobbled scientific progress in psychology, education, and other areas of social science. She adds, “Genetic differences between us matter for our lives. They cause differences in things we care about. Building a commitment to egalitarianism on our genetic uniformity is building a house of sand.”
She is part of a growing group of like-minded social science researchers who take their deep knowledge of the tools of genetics she discusses in depth to further educational and economic egalitarianism. She agrees with the statement that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. She agrees with the liberal philosopher John Rawls famous declaration in his book, “A Theory of Justice:” “The natural distribution is neither just nor unjust…They are simply natural facts. What is just and unjust is the way institutions deal with these facts.”
The idea of equality is appealing. What is meant by equality is not clear. That corporate executives, movie and television stars, talented athletes, brilliant talk show hosts, make millions of dollars. Is that fair? - perhaps not. Is it reality? - yes. Who, may I ask, is going to determine what is fair and what members of society get what resources. People often complain that society is not fair. There is no one named society. Even the words income distributions make it sound like somebody or some group is distributing income --- there is no such group. Economics and revolutions teach us it is very easy to institute government programs that make things worse for the people you are trying to help.
Harden makes the case that we risk much misunderstandings to ignore the influence of genetics AND environments. We can use nature to understand nurture. I could not agree more. She uses restaurants as a helpful creative metaphor to bring home the importance of nature and nurture. She asserts that many different factors influence a restaurant’s success: the ingredients of the food, the preparation, presentation, ambience, service, and price. The ingredients of the food are only one factor of many predicting how popular the restaurant is.
Harden has sustained suspicion and skepticism from her colleagues on the political left. She writes, “In my experience many academics hold the conviction that discussing genetic causes of social inequalities is fundamentally a racist, classist, eugenic project.”
There are those on the political left that believe discrimination accounts for much of the differences between groups. To wait for others to like you before you get ahead is to play the role of victim - a role that never leads to success.
When talking about genetics and equality, Harden states, “People are, in fact, more likely to support redistribution when they see inequalities as stemming from lucky factors over which people have no control than when they see inequalities stemming from choice.” Again, what exactly redistribution means in practical terms, and who makes the "fair" decisions about the definition of the inequalities that people have no control over. In our system, there is nobody in charge of distributing our incomes.
Sometimes equality is linked with equity. How can we understand the implications of genetic diversity and expect equal outcomes among various groups?
“The Genetic Lottery,” is a forceful, incisive book that takes you on a tour of the latest developments in behavioral genetics while taking equality seriously. She devotes two chapters to the important topic of personal responsibility.
She reminds us that thousands of genes make up the components of personality traits, intelligence, and educational achievement, for example, mixed with the complexity of culture, context and more.
I admire Dr. Harden for taking on such provocative ideas.
I recommend listening to the podcast of psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of, “Grit”) interviewing Kathryn Paige Harden.
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From the Publisher
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In recent years, scientists like Kathryn Paige Harden have shown that DNA makes us different, in our personalities and in our health—and in ways that matter for educational and economic success in our current society. |
Harden introduces readers to the latest genetic science, dismantling dangerous ideas about racial superiority and challenging us to grapple with what equality really means in a world where people are born different. Harden shows why our refusal to recognize the power of DNA perpetuates the myth of meritocracy, and argues that we must acknowledge the role of genetic luck if we are ever to create a fair society. |
“This brilliant book is without a doubt the very best exposition on our genes, how they influence quite literally everything about us, and why this means we should care more, not less, about the societal structures in which we live.”―Angela Duckworth, author of Grit |
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Top reviews from other countries
Nani
The increase of genetic knowledge is for the better
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 10, 2022
