Kathryn Paige Harden On Genes And Morality

Kathryn Paige Harden On Genes And Morality

From The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan by Andrew Sullivan

March 6, 2026 · 40 min

About this episode

Kathryn Paige Harden discusses the intersection of genetics and morality, exploring themes of sin, accountability, and social equality.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.com Paige is a scientist and writer. She’s a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she directs the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and serves as Director of Clinical Training. She’s the author of The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality , and her new book is Original Sin : On the Genetics of Vice, The Problem of Blame, and The Future of Forgiveness . It’s about the eternal question of what sin is; and where it comes from; and whether our guilt is justified. We had a great chat. For two clips of our convo — on the proclivity for violence in our genes, and even religion! — head to our YouTube page . Other topics: growing up in a conservative religious household outside Memphis; not knowing any non-evangelicals until college; original sin and Augustine; Aquinas; Calvinism; genetics as predestination; how humans evolved to be more cooperative and non-violent than apes; the genes of violent criminals; the overwhelming disparity of men versus women in prison; accountability vs punishment; free will; God in the gaps; the genetic predisposition for…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Sullivan

Guest: Kathryn Paige Harden

Topics covered

  • genetics
  • morality
  • social equality
  • religion
  • free will
  • accountability
  • mental illness

Keywords

  • genetics
  • morality
  • original sin
  • free will
  • mental illness
  • social equality
  • violence
  • addiction

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Texas at Austin

Books & works: The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality, Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, The Problem of Blame, and The Future of Forgiveness

More episodes of The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan podcast page.