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Does Parenting Matter Far Less Than Genetics?
Source: Why parenting may not matter and why most social science research is probably wrong | Quillette
Fascinating stuff here.
I think there are two interesting claims here that stand out:
People raised apart who share genetics tend to turn out the same
People raised together who do not share genetics, tend to turn out different
As with any theory of this kind, only data can really give us answers, and we already know the answer will be a hybrid. The question is how much.
Most liberals in the west probably see the mix as like 70% child-rearing and 30% genetics (I’m guessing).
I didn’t see any claims here in the article, but I’m guessing they’re going to say it’s more like 80-90% genetics, and 10-20% child-rearing.
That would be monumental.
Less important than the impact of the truth if this were the case would be the question of what to change based on it.
So we do what then?
Determine negative behaviors
Link them to genetics
Try to have fewer people have those genetics
This set of three steps progressively goes from UGH to OMFG, and it’s a road we’ve taken before with horrible outcomes.
So what’s the way forward here?
What are the actual percentages? Do we know them already and liberals are too scared to talk about them?
Are they much more balanced than this article claims? (more towards 50/50)
If this line is wrong the answer is clear–more education, better jobs, better everything that leads to superior upbringings
If this line is correct, what do we do as enlightened and kind people?
Do we start to see bad genes as disease? Laziness? Lack of IQ. Lack of self-discipline? Whatever? Lack of physical beauty?
How do you keep from testing, rating, and discriminating based on these scores if it does turn out to be true?
The other reason this fascinates me is because it may point to yet another way we think we are in control when we are not. In this sense I could understand the outcome even if I didn’t like it.
People want to feel like parenting matters. They want to feel like upbringing matters. They want to feel as if they are in control. They made the mistake. They could have done better.
The most terrifying thing about this kind of research is that, if it were true to the degree of 80-90% genetics, it would strip control from us in a way that we value greatly.
I’ll watch this as it develops, and if you have expertise in this area I’d love to hear from you.