Quietly, patiently, tentatively, scientists are revolutionising the way we see human nature, a breakthrough that may be as earth-shattering as Darwin’s discovery 150 years ago. Or to put it this way, scientists went looking for genetic influences on human behaviour – and what happened next will blow your mind.
Last month psychologist Oliver James published a book with the self-explanatory title, Not In Your Genes, which sought to minimise or deny the effects of genetics on a wide range of conditions. As intelligence specialist Stuart Ritchie observed in The Spectator:
‘To open the book is to step into a parallel universe. In James’s neo-Freudian world, DNA has no effect on the mind or mental health, whereas parenting reigns supreme. His theory, largely derived from his experience as a psychotherapist, is that interactions between parents and children, especially abusive or neglectful ones, leave deep impressions, fully explaining why children become similar to their parents.’
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Rather than starting a reaction to genetic determinism, James’s book may represent the last gasp of the Freudian 20th century.
Last week, for example, a study found multiple genes linked to educational success, and more will surely follow. There
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