Rational Thought vs. Rationalizing Behavior

I attended a talk at the Ronald Reagan Library presented by the Pepperdine School of Public Policy. It was delivered by James Q. Wilson, professor and author, titled The Genetic Basis for Political Viewpoints. The title intrigued me so I wanted to hear what he had to say about the matter. As the nature versus nurture debate continues to swirl I was curious to know if there is a Republican or a Democrat, left or right, liberal or conservative gene. There is not. What does exist is the heredity toward personality, intelligence, faith in God, hence, ideology. It is the genetics of personality, as observed by UCSD, that drives voting and political persuasion. The former are fairly well defined by the age of 26 and modified only slightly over time - mostly by pier influences. That we often share our parents' political outlook is because we share their genes not because they nurtured us that way. In fact, scholars and scientists have concluded that parents have very little influence over their children, rather our friends during adolescense are the preeminent influencers, or "norm centers", giving truth to the "biology is not destiny" adage.

The take away? We are all complex individuals, created with free will and shaped both naturally and environmentally and, at least for the time being, have the freedom to choose - a right that should be respected no matter which wing you fly with.