A Troublesome Inheritance

March 10, 2014
Science journalist Wade (Before the Dawn) ventures into territory eschewed by most writers: the evolutionary basis for racial differences across human populations. He argues persuasively that such differences exist and that they have been “ignored by academics and policy makers for fear that such inquiry might promote racism.” But, Wade argues, the essence of racism is an assertion of superiority of one race over the others, while the recognition that genetic differences lead to behavioral tendencies provides no such value judgment. His conclusion is both straightforward and provocative: “the most significant feature of human races not that their members differ in physical appearance but that their society’s institutions differ because of slight differences in social behavior.” Ignoring genetic diversity has meant that culture has been viewed as the sole factor determining societal differences. Empirically, Wade asserts, this unilateral explanation has failed and that only by bringing evolutionary factors into the mix will we be able to understand the major social changes that have occurred since modern humans evolved. He makes the case that human evolution is ongoing and that genes can influence, but do not fully control, a variety of behaviors that underpin differing forms of social institutions. Wade’s work is certain to generate a great deal of attention.

April 1, 2014
Deploying his natural science background, New York Times journalist Wade (The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures, 2009, etc.) strides into the political minefield of genetic influence on racial differences. The author would be the first to admit that the classification of humans into races--and the possibility of there being a genetic component to the variations--has been hijacked to propagate invidious policies, from racism to eugenics to the Holocaust, which in turn has made further study of how genetics may play a role in the history of the races taboo. Nonetheless, Wade asks, is it inevitable that comparing races foments racism? Why wouldn't one look to genes for traits: literacy, nonviolence, thrift, numeracy, etc.? In a fluid tone, the author dusts the fingerprints of "natural selection as it molded and reworked the genetic clay." First, he examines the less-contentious material of social behavior--cooperating with the group, following norms, punishing violators--as well as elements of fairness and reciprocity within the group, intuitive morality and "genetically influenced behaviors, the expression of which is shaped by culture." Is it really a stretch, as Edward Wilson was pilloried for suggesting, that "[h]armful cultural practices may lead to extinction, but advantageous ones create selective pressures that can promote specific genetic variants." Following evolutionary theory and history, Wade also tackles some time-worn curiosities. Why did the Industrial Revolution happen where it did? Because the rich, with more surviving offspring, infused their values throughout English society and a critical mass was reached in the human economic behavior that had evolved over the previous 10,000 years. What force shaped the nature of Ashkenazi Jewish intelligence, their skill with words and numerals? It is possible that their engagement in moneylending, which was cognitively demanding but also rewarding, "was important because it enabled Jews to secure a considerable degree of reproductive success." A freethinking and well-considered examination of the evidence "that human evolution is recent, copious, and regional."

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June 1, 2014

Wade (editorial writer, New York Times; Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors) synthesizes the genetic research he has been reporting on for many years to write about the role of genetics in human social behavior. He repeats throughout the book that human evolution has been recent, copious, and regional, and this contributes to some societal differences, despite social scientists who try to say race relates to sociology or culture rather than biology. His overview of the research is not exhaustive and relies on a few older publications and books, but it does cover some of the main discussions about the history of human evolution and society in the social and behavioral sciences right now. Many of Wade's conclusions about race, based on geographical adaptation, will seem reasonable, but to some readers his theories about the rise of the West and the intelligence of certain ethnic groups will not. While the author warns that particular chapters are speculative, he also says that "ideas about race are dangerous when linked to political agendas." VERDICT Recommended for those interested in genetics and social behavior in human history.--Margaret Henderson, Midlothian, VA

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