Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

Recommended by Charlie Munger in Poor Charlie’s Almanack.

Behavior is far from being controlled by our biological characteristics; our biological characteristics are often controlled by our behavior.

It is hard for me to believe this is only because we unconsciously gave them some “social norms”. In the earliest autonomous activities, boys and girls already show systematic differences. Boys are more competitive and more interested in machines, weapons, and hands-on work, while girls are more interested in people, clothes, and language. To put it more boldly, men liking maps and women liking novels is not merely the result of nurture.

The final chapter praises free will and explains that determinism is not fatalism. It elevates the whole book: this chapter is no longer science, but philosophy.

Genes influence behavior, and behavior can also influence gene expression. This circular causality can produce results that are extremely difficult to predict, similar to chaos theory. It connects with another book recommended by Charlie Munger, Deep Simplicity. His book list really is high quality.

Genetic determinism is better than environmental determinism.

Hume’s fork: Either our actions are predetermined, in which case we are not responsible for them; or they are the result of chance, in which case we are also not responsible for them. - The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy