175 - Robert Plomin: Behavioral Genetics and the Blueprint of Human Behavior

Robert Plomin is MRC Research Professor of Behavioral Genetics at King’s College London. He has published over 800 papers, is among the hundred most cited psychologists of the twentieth century, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his research, the best known of which is on twin studies and behavioral genetics. In this episode, Robinson and Robert discuss the distinction between molecular and quantitative genetics, how one researches the question of nature vs nurture, the extent to which genetics determines human behavior, the controversies about these lines of research, and what to expect in the next ten years of behavioral genetics. Robert’s most recent book is Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are (MIT, 2018). Blueprint: https://a.co/d/eqpK5dB OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 01:06 Introduction 03:22 An Interest in Behavioral Genetics 12:46 The Distinction Between Quantitative and Molecular Genetics 26:12 How Impactful is Genetics on Behavior? 33:25 Twins, Adoption, and Nature Versus Nurture 41:07 Some Remarkable Consequences of DNA Sequencing 50:43 Nazis, Intelligence, and the Controversy of Genetics Research 01:02:16 Is Intelligence Heritable? 01:15:51 The Generalist and Modular Models of Genes 01:21:50 Is Depression Genetically Determined? 01:31:22 What Is The Role of Nurture in Human Behavior? 01:39:08 What Behaviors and Traits are Heritable? 01:44:53 The Next Ten Years 01:52:47 Is Socioeconomic Status Heritable? Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.