''Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are'' is a book by

behavioral geneticist Behavioural genetics, also referred to as behaviour genetics, is a field of scientific research that uses genetic methods to investigate the nature and origins of individual differences in behaviour. While the name "behavioural genetics" co ...

Robert Plomin Robert Joseph Plomin (born 1948) is an American/British psychologist and geneticist best known for his work in twin studies and behavior genetics. A ''Review of General Psychology'' survey, published in 2002, ranked Plomin as the 71st most cited ...

, first published in 2018 by

the MIT Press The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States). It was established in 1962. History The MIT Press traces its origins back to 1926 when MIT publish ...

and Allen Lane. The book argues that

genetic Genetic may refer to: *Genetics, in biology, the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms **Genetic, used as an adjective, refers to genes ***Genetic disorder, any disorder caused by a genetic mutation, whether inherited or de nov ...

factors, and specifically variations in individuals' DNA, has a large effect on human

psychological trait In psychology, trait theory (also called dispositional theory) is an approach to the study of human personality. Trait theorists are primarily interested in the measurement of ''traits'', which can be defined as habitual patterns of behaviour, tho ...

s, accounting for approximately half of all variation in such traits. The book also claims that genes play a more important role in people's personalities than does the environment. In ''Blueprint'', Plomin argues that environmental effects on human psychological differences, although they exist, are "...mostly random – unsystematic and unstable – which means that we cannot do much about them."

Reviews

Science journalist

Matt Ridley Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley, (born 7 February 1958), is a British science writer, journalist and businessman. He is known for his writings on science, the environment, and economics and has been a regular contributor to ''Th ...

praised ''Blueprint'' as "a hugely important book." Behavior geneticist

Kathryn Paige Harden Kathryn Paige Harden is an American psychologist and behavior geneticist. She is Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is also the leader of the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and the co-director of the Tex ...

criticized the book for overstating the importance of genes for the development of human traits, writing, "Insisting that DNA matters is scientifically accurate; insisting that it is the only thing that matters is scientifically outlandish." However, Plomin has never made such a claim in his book.

Steven Mithen Steven Mithen, (born 16 October 1960) is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading. He has written a number of books, including ''The Singing Neanderthals'' and ''The Prehistory of the Mind: The Cognitive Origins of Art, Religion ...

gave the book a mixed review in ''

the Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', in which he wrote, "I am happy to bow to Plomin as a psychologist and a geneticist, but I found his sociology rather lacking, in fact quite baffling." Nathaniel Comfort criticized the book for promoting

genetic determinism Biological determinism, also known as genetic determinism, is the belief that human behaviour is directly controlled by an individual's genes or some component of their physiology, generally at the expense of the role of the environment, whether ...

and "play ngfast and loose with the concept of heritability". He concluded that "Ultimately, if unintentionally, ''Blueprint'' is a road map for regressive social policy." Journalist

David Goodhart David Goodhart (born 12 September 1956) is a British journalist, commentator and author. He is the founder and a former editor of ''Prospect'' magazine. Early life and education Goodhart is one of seven children born to Valerie Forbes Winant (t ...

reviewed the book more positively, calling it "an important and challenging book that reveals to the general reader what has quietly become a new scientific consensus: psychological traits, including intelligence, are significantly influenced by our genes." Geneticist Barbara Jennings reviewed the book positively, suggesting that those who have criticized it for being "a manifesto for genetic determinism" are "misreading ..the book".

References

2018 non-fiction books Genetics books Behavioural genetics Psychology books Popular science books MIT Press books Allen Lane (imprint) books {{psych-book-stub