Will I love The Genetic Lottery?

Most people think concern about how genes influence outcomes like IQ and socioeconomic success is the province of the (far) right—of white supremacists and xenophobes. But Harden forcefully shows us that progressives should care just as much about inequality in genes as we are concerned about unequal environments. 

Both have to do with luck and aren’t “fair.” She draws a convincing sketch of what a progressive policy around genetics might look like—an anti-eugenics policy that does not deny human nature.

What does DNA have to do with education, social justice, income inequality, and other weighty topics? I’ve never read anything that makes such a compelling case that the modern revolution in genetics should impact how we structure society as much as it impacts how we treat disease. First, Harden presents wonderful, accessible descriptions of the current state of genetics, including how we know what we know. Genes have a huge impact on life outcomes.

Harden firmly believes that it would be a mistake to sweep genetic research under the rug for misguided but well-meaning reasons; this seems obvious, but it… show more.

This begins as an exceptional introduction to genetics and the very latest technological and statistical methods. What sets this book apart, however, is the understanding of what genetics and inheritance mean, which took my breath away. 

For more than a century, the crusty old nature-nurture false dichotomy has dominated human understanding of inheritance and - especially - the genetics of behavior. Despite many valiant attempts, genetics has seldom managed to escape the legacy of eugenics and the towering figures of Galton, Pearson and Fisher. Harden provides a refreshing, coherent, powerful case that liberates genetic knowledge from eugenics, and places a… show more.