Blueprint Quotes

“Genetic research shows that the medical model is all wrong when it comes to psychological problems.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“Genetics, not lack of willpower, is the major reason why people differ in BMI. Success and failure, credit and blame, in overcoming problems should be calibrated relative to genetic strengths and weaknesses.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“In summary, parents matter, schools matter and life experiences matter, but they don't make a difference in shaping who we are. DNA is the only thing that makes a substantial systematic difference, accounting for 50 per cent of the variance in psychological traits. The rest comes down to chance environmental experiences that do not have long-term effects.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“Genetics is the major reason why people differ in personality, mental health and illness, and learning and cognitive abilities. In essence, the most important thing that parents give to their children is their genes. Your parents' systematic influence on who you are lies within the genes they gave you.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“As we enter the era of personal genomics, they will eventually affect all of us.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“There is a continuum of genetic influence from one extreme to the other. In other words, as we find genes associated with reading disability, these DNA differences will not be ‘for’ reading disability. They will be related to the entire distribution of reading ability. These DNA differences will make good readers read slightly less well than other good readers without these genetic variants. Conversely, as we find genes associated with reading ability, the same genes will predict reading problems.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“According to the majority view of intelligence researchers, the core of intelligence is ‘the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience’.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“Vid en första anblick framstår genetik och jämlikhet som varandras motsatser, eftersom genetiken strider mot den princip som man finner i den andra meningen i USA:s självständighetsdeklaration från 1776, nämligen att alla människor är skapade lika. ... Men "lika möjligheter" är återigen inte samma sak som identiska sådana. ... Demokratins själva essens är att alla ska behandlas rättvist trots att de är olika.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“[I]nsikten om genetikens betydelse, och om hur slumpmässiga de miljöbetingade influenserna är, kan göra det lättare för oss att acceptera och till och med njuta av att vi är som vi är, rent genetiskt. I stället för att sträva efter att vara någon som vi placerar på en befängt hög piedestal, kan det vara värt att pröva att söka efter sitt genetiska jag och försöka trivas med sig själv.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are

“Teorin om arv via miljö ger oss en ny modell för hur vi ska se på erfarenheter; vi varseblir, tolkar, väljer, modifierar och skapar aktivt erfarenheter som korrelerar med våra genetiska anlag.”
― Robert Plomin, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are