Dear PendingKetchup
11 hours ago
- Dynomight responds to PendingKetchup's comment suggesting his article on heritability might be promoting eugenics.
- He states his goal was purely to explain the technical meaning of heritability, not to advance any social or political views.
- He explains why he avoids explicit disclaimers about the fraught nature of heritability: they can appear condescending, alienate readers with different views, and ironically invite more objections.
- He argues that the heritability of a trait depends on societal factors, using the example of crabs injecting growth hormone to illustrate how environment can affect heritability.
- He challenges PendingKetchup's assumption that neutrality implies a hidden agenda, and questions whether the commenter is trying to enforce a norm of constant support for particular social views.
- He emphasizes the importance of separating facts from social views for both intellectual honesty and effective communication.