There’s a Gene for That

If you want to understand why humans wage wars, there is a gene for that. Want to understand why men rape women? There is a gene for that. Want to understand why the "national characters" of East Asia, the West, and Africa are different? We have those genes covered too. Indeed, if we are to believe most popular media, there is a gene for just about every inequality and inequity in modern society.

Genetic determinism, and its uglier cousin social Darwinism, are making a comeback. Armed with large genomic datasets and an arsenal of statistical techniques, a small but vocal band of scientists are determined to hunt down the genetic basis of all we are and all we do.

The relationship between genetics and biological determinism is almost as old as the field itself. After all, one of the foremost modern institutes of genetics, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, began as a eugenics institute whose activities included "lobbying for eugenic legislation to restrict immigration and sterilize `defectives,' educating the public on eugenic health, and disseminating eugenic ideas widely."

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