Thread by @biblioracle

I think this framing is a good illustration of the kind of potential flattening of the discussion that progressives (or at least this progressive) are worried about when we inject genetic research into education.

I consider myself pro-truth and pro-science, but those are not interchangeable things. We well know there are "truths" not revealable through science. We also know that scientific truths can shift under our feet. We also know that scientific truths can be used to do harm.

I think the vast majority of progressives (or at least this one) also recognize that genes play a role in our lives and outcomes. What makes my view progressive is that I don't care what someone's genes may indicate. I want them to have the best opportunity to achieve their goals

So for my work as a teacher, genes both matter and are entirely irrelevant to the work I do. Knowing my students genetic predispositions would not change who I approach the work of teaching writing. The work is the work.

Truth-seeking is a wonderful goal, but truth-seeking is a process a way of moving through the world according to a set of values. For me, an important part of truth-seeking is to understand that a truth could in fact be provisional, and upended by something new.

Contra the claim in the tweet, I don't think most of us fear what someone might do with the truth. I think we fear what people might do with things that are "truthy" or that some people could be made to believe are true, even if they're false.

The eugenics movement in our country's history has always been grounded in science and put forth what they argued was true, and it has been used to horrifying end. We can't just ignore that history as this new avenue of inquiry is opened up.

For a far more nuanced look at what polygenic scores, precision education, AI-education and other data-driven movements mean, and how and why we should be worried, highly recommend following this project from @BenPatrickWill et al. codeactsineducation.wordpress.com/2021/09/08/new…

This progressive has no wish to stop researchers from doing their work, but recognizing the potential for that work to be mischaracterized, misused and ultimately do harm is not an attempt to silence that work. Nor is it anti-science or anti-truth.

Science is a tool. I don't fear it anymore than I fear any other tool, but GWAS and polygenic scores are in their very infancy, I don't think they have anything practical or meaningful to tell us about students and schooling at this time, and quite possibly ever.