The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality is a book by psychologist and behavior geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Published on September 21, 2021, by Princeton University Press, the book argues that human genetic variation needs to be acknowledged in order to create a fair and equal society. She encourages people to conceptualize genetic predispositions to greater socioeconomic status and educational attainment as "genetic luck" rather than "superiority" or individual worth. The book also aims to counter pseudoscientific ideas such as race science and eugenics that have been used to explain and justify social inequalities.
Background
Harden was motivated to write The Genetic Lottery to try to change people's minds about what she considers the need for social scientists to consider genetics in their research, and to assuage fears about the negative societal consequences of doing so. She told Gideon Lewis-Kraus that the book was "fundamentally defensive in a lot of ways" in cautioning against over-interpretation of genetic data, such as the results of genome-wide association studies.
Reviews
Jonathan Flint reviewed The Genetic Lottery favorably, concluding, "Harden’s book provides its readers with an accessible introduction to the current state of behavioral genetics...Her well-argued text is an excellent example of how to make difficult genetic concepts clear".
University of Cambridge geneticist Aylwyn Scally also reviewed the book favorably, writing in Nature Ecology & Evolution that it "provides a better basis for debate about these issues and the role of genetics in society than previous contributions in the same sphere, and a corrective to the more notorious of them, which in itself makes it valuable and welcome."
Economist Jason Fletcher published a mixed review of The Genetic Lottery in the journal Population and Development Review. He stated that "The book's main messages will appeal to a variety of researchers, many of whom are uninitiated into behavioral genetics." However, he also criticized the book for what he refers to "an aggressive, persistent bait and switch" because, in the book, Harden almost never discusses sibling studies despite extensively describing genetic differences between biological siblings as a "lottery".
In another mixed review, Portland State University philosopher Bryan Cwik stated, "The book is a masterly tour of the state of the art of behavioral genetics and its relevance for pressing social questions, but despite the ambition and daring nature of its central claim, its effort to make the case for an “anti-eugenic” science and policy is ultimately disappointing."
A negative review of the book in Los Angeles Review of Books written by four academics stated: "While we admire Harden’s social justice aims, we remain unconvinced by her biological explanation for socioeconomic inequality. In making her case to liberals, we believe Harden extrapolates beyond what current scientific results allow. She has expanded an interesting but narrow finding — that DNA influences educational attainment and other social outcomes for individuals of European ancestry in high-income countries — into a unified theory of society and a basis for sweeping social reform."