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adiflesher's picture

Valid worries

I think that there is a lot of validity to your worries that people will try to use genetics as an excuse for bad-behavior. 

I think people will always try to blame bad behavior on powers outside themselves. (The devil made me do it!)   

 My interest is in how we help people understand genetics (and the brain) so they can actually have a better chance to avoid hurting themselves and others. As I said in my post I am not sure that I have a clear model for how we do this, but I do think that for the most part - more knowledge - properly understood - helps people make better decisions and arrive at new ways of seeing the world. 

We already have a lot of people cheating on their spouses, addicted to drugs, addicted to bad food etc.  Perhpas as we become more clear on the many things that lead people into these types of destructive and harmful realtionships to themselves and others - we can help them avoid these things, or help them make better stories that will allow them to escape these traps. 

In that sense I think that some of the stories that people have (I am a bad person, I am lazy, I am going to hell) don't actually work all that well for many people in avoiding or stopping destructive behavior.

If people have a chance to understand that parts of their brain are leading them to this behavior (genes, unconscious mind) while other parts of their brain (concern for others, morality) are showing them a more useful way of behaving than it might really help them find more appropriate solutions.

 

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