Max Castle

are you just throwing shade, or do you think the concept of epigenetics is bunk?

Can I do both? Saying epigenetics is bunk is a step too far but it has clearly been latched onto by those who want to dismiss the 'determinism' of genetics. It started with Deleuzian vitalists about 15 years ago and looks like it has nowade it to the pseudo-commies. 1/2

The bigger problem is the question of epigenetics is simply irrelevant. Even if environmental factors were a larger causal agent in development, it would not then follow that "we could have some control over the way genetic traits are expressed."

"Even if the environment in which humans develop were a large causal factor in how they develop, this wouldn't imply humans could...manipulate the environment to affect development"? I hate playing "who's more obvi taking an instrumental position and phoning in the details?" but.

Yeah, you're right.

I imbued the author with a greater level of control than is necessary from her position here. One doesn't need the voodoo of epigenetics to recognize the possibility of something like genre manipulation. But this is a secondary and largely unrelated point. @nihilaxis

dismissing the concept and whole bodies of work on epigenetics as voodoo is a weak imo. can’t be explained away that easy. you leave yourself open to argumentative exploit with that

I could have said 'epigenetics'. I have already stated that it's a step too far to call it bunk. Epigenetic effect seems to be minor and not really a nail to hang your revoltionary hat on. And like many other such concepts that the humanists grab onto, it's going to disappoint.

There was a famous paper claiming that Holocaust survivors passed on their memories of the camps to their children. It was not replicated.

I remember that. “Postmemory.” It was worded like: ‘extremity of their trauma caused mutations which increased likelihood of depression’ which I always thought sounded semi plausible but never heard anything more about it.

Hello there Childermass

Damn. Found me out.

In all serious you’re probably right about the person you are critiquing but beyond epigenetics (which does seem increasingly important) there’s a separate ontogenetic contingency to the expression of certain genes.

The discourse needs to progress beyond leftists tokenising epigenetics to a neo-Lamarckian extent and the right being dogmatic and narrow-sighted about phylogeny

Cancer eating nanobots solve the issue.

Good luck with that “war on cancer”, when were they last 5 years away from eradicating it. In the 70s?

Our current method is closer to crop dusting than anything laser guided.