
The Genetic Lottery
Why DNA Matters for Social Equality
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Narrated by:
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Katherine Fenton
This audiobook narrated by Katherine Fenton makes a provocative and timely case for how the science of genetics can help create a more just and equal society
In recent years, scientists like Kathryn Paige Harden have shown that DNA makes us different, in our personalities and in our health - and in ways that matter for educational and economic success in our current society.
In The Genetic Lottery, Harden introduces listeners to the latest genetic science, dismantling dangerous ideas about racial superiority and challenging us to grapple with what equality really means in a world where people are born different. Weaving together personal stories with scientific evidence, Harden shows why our refusal to recognize the power of DNA perpetuates the myth of meritocracy, and argues that we must acknowledge the role of genetic luck if we are ever to create a fair society.
Reclaiming genetic science from the legacy of eugenics, this groundbreaking book offers a bold new vision of society where everyone thrives, regardless of how one fares in the genetic lottery.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2021 Kathryn Paige Harden (P)2021 Princeton University PressListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
“This brilliant book is without a doubt the very best exposition on our genes, how they influence quite literally everything about us, and why this means we should care more, not less, about the societal structures in which we live.” (Angela Duckworth, author of Grit)
“To me, the aim of genetic research should be threefold: to find out which differences between people are real, which of those matter, and how to use that knowledge to get the best outcomes for all people. This fascinating book is a step toward that goal.” (David Epstein, author of Range)
“Harden expertly explains what we can - and importantly, can’t - take away from genetic research, and does so without shying away from the complexities or controversies. Nobody should be allowed to opine about genetics in public until they’ve read this book.” (Stuart Ritchie, author of Science Fictions)
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Good points with an inconsistent conclusion.
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intelligent and informative
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Good book but perhaps slightly overstates its case
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no info on genetics use for equality. iher info remains behind the viel of ignorance.
mislead by title no info on genetics use for equality. iher info remains behind the viel of ignorance.
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a bit slower at the beginning but ramps up quickly
authentically anti eugenic
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Very interesting book clarifying lots of myths
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Approaching genetics with commitment to social equality
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Interesting spiritual tome
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Harden's account is scrupulous about the complexities of genotype-phenotype correlations, pointing out the many ways they dependence on social context. Along the way, she delivers a sparkling description of causality that I have been hunting for, without success, for over a decade now. She also tells the brutal story of how, right from the start, Anglo-American scholars in particular seized on genetics as a way to ratify their racist and Social Darwinist instincts. (This work helped inspire Nazi racial ideology.)
Harden's work is an excellent complement to David Reich's Who We Are and How We Got Here. It's required reading for intellectuals who want to try to come to terms with this important emerging field of knowledge.
Excellent overview of advances in genetics
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On her first point, the book is potent and effective. Much research is not pursued because of troubling conclusions and other research is neglected because of poor rational leaps about the implications. Genetics weigh heavily on social order, but they are not fatalistic. E.g. your eyesight is determined by genetics and environment, but a pair of glasses can correct many genetic disadvantages from nature. I believe this was the primary thrust of her book and the point was well-established and defended.
On her second point, I'm not sure that a universal moral order can be established in a book of this nature or of this length. What she does accomplish is to refute the notion that just because some people read genetics to mean eugenics is not a necessary conclusion. She does not prove, philosophically speaking, that her position is a necessary conclusion from the study of genetics, but tries to paint it as the more desirable conclusion (which it is.)
In the end, she operates from Rawls's Justice of Fairness, but she does not argue FOR the philosophy as much as she simply argues FROM it. This is what I would expect from a social scientist, that being said she shows much more awareness and intentionality with her philosophy than many other books in her field.
To be clear, I agree with her premise and her conclusions, but her argument is far from airtight. I'm reluctant to criticize since I agree so naturally with her. The social science aspect of this book gets a 5 out of 5, the philosophy gets a 2 out of 5.
Strong case for destigmatizing genetic research
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