HC 431H Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Heritability, Human Genetic Variation

• School: University of Oregon
• Department: Robert Donald Clark Honors College
• Course: HC 431H
• Professor: Daniel Rosenburg

Document Summary

Powerful essentializing propensity: occurs despite metaphysical essentialism being problematic in most cases, cross-cultural universal, readily extended to social categories (race, gender, sexual orientation, identity, etc) Genes may act as an essence placeholder allowing inferences based on assumed shared genes. Leads people to to view: outcomes as rigid and determined, fundamental cause of condition, such groups pf people are homogeneous and discrete. Principles to guide the use of racial ad ethnic categorizes when characterizing groups differences in research into human genetic variation. Avoid a genetic explanation for group differences in complex traits, especially for things like iq, tendency toward violence, degree of athleticism. Maintain focus on the individual rather than the group. Avoid overstatement of the contribution of genetic variation to phenotype variation.