Philosophy of Genetics

I was discouraged from going to college

Have you ever heard someone complain that "I was discouraged from going to college" as the reason for them not attending?

Some people listen to discouraging voices, from their parents or "society", yet other people ignore those voices.  Some people obey, and some people stubbornly refuse.  What accounts for the difference?

Elisabeth Kubler Ross was strongly discouraged from going to college, and yet she stubbornly persisted.  What personality type(s) would allow her to do this?  Stubbornness, lack of a need for social approval, ability to defer gratification... all of these have been shown to be innate.

Therefore, an equally plausible explanation for someone not going to college is that they lacked the genetic threshold to overcome the resistence, and they had an innate need for the approval from their parents or society, so had to abide by their wishes.  It's not hard to think of a list of people (Napolean, etc) who didn't need social approval, and persisted in their goals despite enormous odds.

The poverty myth

Most people assume that children born to poverty have a disadvantage in life because they lack resources or are surrounded by violence.  Yet why is it that some people can rise up and become successful?  Is it luck?

A successful person who came from poverty may say that they got "lucky breaks".  Perhaps they had an influential mentor.  But why would someone bother to mentor them unless they showed promise: a sharp mind, a charismatic smile, persistence.  Smart people will always rise up, no matter what their circumstances.

Some people born to poverty may complain that they have low self-esteem due to their conditions.  But then how do you explain those people in the same conditions who have high self-esteem?  President Bill Clinton was born to a poor family; his mother gambled and drank too much, and his step-father was abusive.  Yet he became president.  How is that possible?

Many immigrants from Asia have arrived in America, poor as dirt, yet their children rise to the top of their class.  Why is that?

The next time someone tells you that people are disadvantaged because they are born to poverty, you can tell them it's equally likely they are disadvantaged by their genes (innate ability).