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Actually there is a tremendous amount of research on the importance of genetics (particularly twin and adoption studies). My quick summary here is going to be o
by asift 11y ago
Actually there is a tremendous amount of research on the importance of genetics (particularly twin and adoption studies). My quick summary here is going to be overly simplistic, but at a very high level, so long as a child wasn't raised in an abusive environment, genetics are much more important in predicting things like intelligence and future earnings than a family's characteristics are. That conclusion is not merely anecdote. It's one of the most extensively studied questions in parenting research.
- pron 11y agoI think that your interpretation of the results is very wrong. Studies on criminality show a significant genetic component -- not that it is the most significant factor. The IQ studies indeed show that a much stronger correlation with the biological parents, but IQ variation has not been found to be a major cause of social inequality, AFAIK. I.e. to draw your conclusions you'd need another missing element, which is to show that low IQ is a major cause of poverty, and other causes don't play as significant a role. I am not aware of any such claims. Indeed, in the famous twin-adoption studies, heredity was found to explains only ~20% of the variation in earnings in men and ~10% in women -- certainly significant, but far from being the determining cause. Also, that genetics may have a significant influence on future earnings does not mean that no action is possible to counter that effect -- if we choose to take it. Choosing to take it or not is a value-based choice. Genetics also prevents us from flying or some people born with deformities from walking, yet we have built airplanes and prosthetics.