Miscellaneous
Dalton Conley is the Henry Putnam University Professor in Sociology and a faculty affiliate at the Office of Population Research and the Center for Health and Wellbeing. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and in a pro bono capacity he serves as Dean of Health Sciences for the University of the People, a tuition-free, accredited, online college committed to expanding access to higher education. Conley’s scholarship has primarily dealt with the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic and health status from parents to children.He earned a M.P.A. in Public Policy and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from NYU.In this conversation, we discuss his book The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and the Future. We dive deep into the nature vs. nurture debate, genetics and the role they play in the way we develop as human beings, genetic diversity, the “Gay” Gene, sperm banks and the use of genetic information, Tinder and 23 and Me, and more.---Websites: https://sociology.princeton.edu/people/dalton-conley https://scholar.princeton.edu/dconleyBook: The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and the Future---HIGHLIGHTS(2:07) The future of Sociology. (5:00) The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and the Future. (5:55) The nurture vs. nature debate.(13:35) The human factor, and Viktor Frankl - the choices in life, are they determined by our biology, our environment, or both?(15:50) What matters more, the environment or biology when determining one’s path in life?(18:52) The gene/environment interaction.(23:01) Does genetics determine one’s life? Is there free will?(25:00) The “Gay” Gene.(28:25) Why does the moral conversation around some issues like IQ heritability tends to be stigmatized?(29:20) Can we maximize the gene activation - good gene activation - for all the population in a single environment - i.e. USA?(32:00) Are some people predisposed to be tobacco addicts? Can genes help us to understand why some people smoke more than others? What are the policy implications of this?(34:10) Orchids vs. Dandelions and their relationship to Human diversity.(41:45) Evolutionary Pressures. (45:15) Do genes affect the economic development of a given region?(47:42) Assortative Mating - Will Tinder recommend us potential mates taking into account the human genome? Will Dating Apps associate with Biotechnology companies?(52:20) Sperm banks and the potential utility of genetic information.---Thanks for tuning in for this edition of Through Conversations Podcast!If you find this conversation interesting, subscribe to the podcast at any podcast feed you use. Also, dive deep into conversation with your loved ones by sharing this episode with them. You can use the review feature on Apple Podcasts to share with me your thoughts on the show, propose topics or guests you'd love to listen to, and help me improve the show.I am grateful for your continuous support.---Keep the conversation going:Instagram:@thruconvpodcastTwitter: @ThruConvPodcastWebsite: throughconversations.com