The Genetic Lottery

Why DNA Matters for Social Equality

By: Kathryn Paige Harden

Narrated by: Katherine Fenton

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Press

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)

Good points with an inconsistent conclusion.

Has sound science, but the conclusion embraces much of what was lamented before and does it in a different compartmentalized manner. An ‘anti-‘ stance to justify a tall poppy syndrome.

authentically anti eugenic

the topics covered in this book are extremely relevant.
a bit slower at the beginning but ramps up quickly

Very interesting book clarifying lots of myths

The book is great at dispelling some of the myths of genetics and also of explaining the concepts of eugenics and the opposing visions

intelligent and informative

Although much of this book is overly complicated and not exactly meant for those who do not study genetics, it is still worth a listen to gain a better understanding of the future of the science behind the subject. Certainly something that society should no longer turn a blind eye to.

Good book but perhaps slightly overstates its case

Katherine Paige Harden argues convincingly for why we should take genetic data seriously when seeking to understand the roots of inequality. But at times her explanations start to veer towards determinism, making me wonder whether an author who wasn’t also a researcher in the field would have come to different conclusions.

Interesting spiritual tome

This was an interesting mixed bag of a spiritual book presented as scientific, but good for consideration and variable enumeration.

Excellent overview of advances in genetics

Harden, who was recently featured in The New Yorker, does a crystal-clear introduction for laypeople to recent advances in high-quality research linking genes with outcomes like school completion that matter deeply for the social hierarchy. These influences are the aggregate consequences of a huge number of minor genetic variations, but they match classic social science variables like parental income in effect size. Harden argues both against conservative genetic determinists who claim human worth is hard-wired and against liberals who want to pretend genes make no difference at all to social stratification. She argues for a Rawlsian framework based on the fact that no one really deserves their "draw" in the genetic lottery, whereas we all benefit from the intricate social cooperation on which our society is built and so owe it to one another to manage inequality in the service of all.

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.

Strong case for destigmatizing genetic research

It seems she has two stated purposes. First, to reclaim the field of genetics from eugenicists, in fact, to establish the moniker of "anti-eugenicist" (in an appropriation of Ibram X. Kendi's "anti-racist.") Her second goal is to create, or at least call for a recognition of, a universal moral based on the philosophy of John Rawls (veil of ignorance).

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.

Important addition to the field of intelligence

The book is an important addition to the field of intelligence and IQ. A controversial field with little published material. A serious book with a noble mission. I think it is must read. It is not easy to read at times and there is tendency for repetition. The narration is robotic.

A necessary addition to science based policy.

Harden’s brave attempt to approach the taboo subject of genetic luck is as important as it is daunting.

Although at times dwelling a bit too much on detractors rather than focusing on the message, it all seems necessary to drawing the complete picture in our current political landscape.

This is a call to action with some kindling provided. We should, and likely will, see this subject more and more. It is part of any future we hope to see in the world.