Science

The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality

The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality

  • Downloads：8427
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-07 03:19:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kathryn Paige Harden
  • ISBN：B091MQ771M
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Fredrik deBoer ，

An accessible primer from a researcher working on the cutting edge of the field， The Genetic Lottery is also a passionate defense of an egalitarian society in a world where not all people are blessed with the same gifts。 Harden recognizes what so many people refuse to understand: that denying the influence of genetics in our lives does not make that influence go away。 Instead， progressive denialism leaves people of conscience unable to clearly articulate the case for a social system that nurture An accessible primer from a researcher working on the cutting edge of the field， The Genetic Lottery is also a passionate defense of an egalitarian society in a world where not all people are blessed with the same gifts。 Harden recognizes what so many people refuse to understand: that denying the influence of genetics in our lives does not make that influence go away。 Instead， progressive denialism leaves people of conscience unable to clearly articulate the case for a social system that nurtures all people regardless of circumstance。 A world where we are not blessed with the same innate gifts through our genes is a world where the case for a strong social democratic state is much stronger， as such a world is one where no one is fully in control of their lives and thus where no one deserves poverty， hunger， and depravation。 Harden's text gives readers the scientific background necessary to understand heritability and the ethical arguments necessary to defend our duty to protect the most disadvantaged among us。As someone with not just a political and academic interest in this subject， but with the same interests in genetics as everyone and some unusual ones besides， I found The Genetic Lottery timely and moving。 。。。more

Chris Boutté ，

I received an advanced copy of this book， and it’s so damned good。 For most of my life， I believed in meritocracy even though I’ve personally seen how the “genetic lottery” can screw you。 I’m a recovering drug addict who struggles with depression and anxiety， and these run in my family。 On top of that， I’m one of those people where I have to work 10x as hard to lose weight。 But because of my sobriety， I liked to tell myself that “working hard gets you where you need to go”。 Unfortunately， that’s I received an advanced copy of this book， and it’s so damned good。 For most of my life， I believed in meritocracy even though I’ve personally seen how the “genetic lottery” can screw you。 I’m a recovering drug addict who struggles with depression and anxiety， and these run in my family。 On top of that， I’m one of those people where I have to work 10x as hard to lose weight。 But because of my sobriety， I liked to tell myself that “working hard gets you where you need to go”。 Unfortunately， that’s not always the case。 In this book， Kathryn Paige Harden does an incredible job laying down the foundation about how genes do and don’t affect us。 There are many myths and misconceptions she debunks throughout the first part of the book， but she breaks down what the science actually says。 The first half of the book was a bit difficult for me because too much talk about biology and genetics just goes over my head。 Despite my lack of comprehension of the topic， the author was able to get the main points across， and she uses epic 90s movie references throughout， which is a great way to teach people。 In the second half of the book， she dives into how our views on genetics affect the legal system， moral responsibility， education， job opportunities， and other systemic issues。 By the time Kathryn got to the social issues， I couldn’t stop reading the book。 I can’t wait for it to launch and for others to learn more about the reality of the genetic lottery so we can work towards more equality rather than basing someone’s value on things outside of their control。 。。。more