Kathryn Paige Harden on How Genetics Shapes Human Behavior
About this episode
Yascha Mounk and Kathryn Paige Harden discuss the influence of genetics on human behavior and its implications for progressive politics.
Yascha Mounk and Paige Harden discuss twin studies, heritability research, and why genetic influence varies across different traits and populations. Kathryn Paige Harden is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and serves as Director of Clinical Training. Her latest book is Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Problem of Blame, and the Future of Forgiveness. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Paige Harden discuss why twin studies reveal the substantial influence of genetics on human behavior, how genetic effects actually increase rather than decrease over a person’s lifetime, and why acknowledging genetic influences shouldn’t be seen as incompatible with progressive politics. Watch this conversation on our ⁠YouTube Channel⁠! If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠this link on your phone⁠. Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Apple⁠ | ⁠Google⁠ X…
People in this episode
Host: Yascha Mounk
Guest: Kathryn Paige Harden
Topics covered
- genetics
- human behavior
- twin studies
- heredity
- progressive politics
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Texas at Austin
Books & works: Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Problem of Blame, and the Future of Forgiveness
More episodes of The Good Fight
- H.W. Brands on the Making of George Washington
- James Traub on Why American Classrooms Are Failing Democracy
- Marc Lipsitch on Playing Pandemic Roulette in the Lab
- The Good Fight Club: The Vibe Shift That Wasn’t, White Identity Politics, and “When They Go Low, We Go Low&#
- Al Roth on Why People Should Be Free to Sell Their Kidneys
- Timothy Garton Ash on Europe’s Political Fragmentation
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Good Fight podcast page.