Genopolitics and the science of genetics

Abstract

In an earlier article we challenged the findings of Fowler and Dawes (FD) that two genes predict voter turnout as part of a more general critique of genopolitics. FD now acknowledge that their finding of a significant direct association between MAOA and voting was incorrect, but claim to have replicated their finding of an indirect association between 5HTT, self-reported church attendance, and self-reported voting. We show that this finding is likely driven by population stratification and omitted variable bias. We then explain why, from the standpoints of genetics, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, genopolitics is a fundamentally misguided undertaking; we also respond to FD's charge that some of our previous statements concerning genetics are highly misleading, extremely disingenuous, and even incorrect. We show that their criticisms demonstrate a lack of awareness of some basic principles in genetics and of discoveries in molecular genetics over the past 50 years. Copyright © 2013 American Political Science Association.