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  • Blueprint

  • How DNA Makes Us Who We Are
  • By: Robert Plomin
  • Narrated by: Robert Plomin
  • Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (183 ratings)
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Blueprint

By: Robert Plomin
Narrated by: Robert Plomin
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Summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Blueprint, written and read by Robert Plomin. 

The blueprint for our individuality lies in the 1 percent of DNA that differs between people. Our intellectual capacity, our introversion or extraversion, our vulnerability to mental illness, even whether we are a morning person - all of these aspects of our personality are profoundly shaped by our inherited DNA differences. 

In Blueprint, Robert Plomin, a pioneer in the field of behavioural genetics, draws on a lifetime's worth of research to make the case that DNA is the most important factor shaping who we are. Our families, schools and the environment around us are important, but they are not as influential as our genes. This is why, he argues, teachers and parents should accept children for who they are, rather than trying to mould them in certain directions. Even the environments we choose and the signal events that impact our lives, from divorce to addiction, are influenced by our genetic predispositions. Now, thanks to the DNA revolution, it is becoming possible to predict who we will become, at birth, from our DNA alone. As Plomin shows us, these developments have sweeping implications for how we think about parenting, education, and social mobility. 

A game-changing book by a leader in the field, Blueprint shows how the DNA present in the single cell with which we all begin our lives can impact our behaviour as adults. 

©2018 Robert Plomin (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A clear and engaging explanation of one of the hottest fields in science." (Steven Pinker)

What listeners say about Blueprint

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Very challenging (as a topic and a medium)

It's taken me three attempts to start and finish this audio book. Audio is a very challenging medium for this content, because of the large amount of numerical data that is being presented to support the arguments in the book. I'm highly numerate, statistically literate and have a pretty good working memory; but I have really struggled to follow some threads completely.

That said, it's a very compelling narrative and I shall be getting a paper copy; first time that's happened with an audio book.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Like swimming through treacle

Persuasive language used, to over-state author's beliefs (which have some truth I think). That DNA underpins us and interacts with the environment (but this bit doesn't make a difference according to him) to equal individual outcomes.

What happens matters too between 30 and 60 per cent (that's loads right, so let's be nice to each other right- though author thinks this doesn't actually make a difference to a person). Except for weight that's more heritable as he keeps saying again and again, that sucks. Interesting, if people don't know this already then maybe worth a read. I am finding it very tedious, I think that's my impatient gene. Doesn't feel like a revolution to me. Maybe I will change my mind once I am the end of the book, I will update this review if so.

He ends up going on a lot about himself too. Lots of contradictions, repetition and ambiguities. Some ideas I love (eg disorders as we know them don't exist, and we should get to know our children,not mould them to fit) but they're not new. Somewhat boring. Discounts all which cannot be proved. Overstates what "he feels" has been proved. So not really my cup of tea.

Really persevered listening to this as I want to be challenged. I have not been won over, I still think parenting makes a difference. I do agree DNA underpins us and matters a lot, he is just overstating it.

"Children are not blobs of clay to be moulded" Amen. Hopefully all parents could come to learn this without needing proof of DNA. It's obvious isn't it.

Nature of nurture- irritating phrase
Genetic revolution - another one. Repeated way too many times. YAWN.
The abnormal is normal - like this
There are no disorders to diagnose- move to tailored treatments. Like this, but I'm not holding my breathe for those really in need.
Focus on prevention rather than treatment - like this, though it brings ethical considerations

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Naive and reductionist scientism

Got it by accident (instead of the book by Christakis), followed by more and more disappointment: starting with a sadly naive and reductionist understanding of genetics, forms a hypothesis that's little more than thinly veiled racism, carefully hidden behind the brand of scientism that's become quite popular recently.

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LOVED IT

This is the kind of food for brain I love to get stuck into. Well written, well narrated and full of wonderful, accessible info on how we generally/intuitively get the nature/nurture thing wrong.
Thank you.

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Must read for all educators

This book is fascinating and gives evidence to basic truths that every experienced educator knows. Well worth a read I only hope policy makers will finally take notice.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Good introduction to heritability and polygenetics

A very interesting listen that didn't delve any further than necessary into the finer complexities about DNA to make its point. I found the professor very easy to listen to, and his enthusiasm for much of his life's work came across in his easy delivery of the content of the book.

For anyone interested in why you keep hearing your parents in your voice, or looking to understand how we are encoded, this is well worth your time and money. The ongoing progress that is described in this book makes you feel that we are about to see a paradigm shift in many areas of psychology... and life sciences more broadly.

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Eye opening and lucid

How much of the differences in our personalities is genetic? I last thought about twin studies 50 years ago, when they were controversial both because of the taint of eugenics, and because of reported scientific malpractice by a major proponent, Cyril Burt. There's nothing wrong with the concept though, and since then, thousand of studies have looked at - I think - millions of twins. At the same time, I'd guess that sociology still argues that most of our difference in who we are is environmentally caused - by our home, our schools etc.

The first half of the book clearly explains how these studies have estimated how much of different aspects of personality is genetic, and for most traits, that's a whopping ~50%. It then goes on to list findings that are are both counterintuitive (or clash with other major discourses in society), and have big implications. For example, 50% or the differences in personality must therefore be environmentally caused, but it doesn't seem to be down to the home or the school. Also, most things we call mental illness or syndromes are simply extremes of a continuum.

The strength of twin studies is that we don't need to know how the genetic aspects actually work, but the second half of the book ties this to the other great genetic advance - the human genome, and tells us about the coming of the polygenic score, where you will be told all sorts of things about yourself from your genome sequence. I found this half less satisfying than the first half - I don't doubt that this will come, and we will be bombarded with predictions, but I don't see how it is actually going to be of any real use for individuals. The speed that the field is moving was evident to me when a scientific paper came out shortly after I finished the book, that filled one of the big holes in evidence the second part of the book talks about.

I found this book very thought-provoking, with a lot of genuinely surprising findings that challenge many basic and widely held assumptions about who we are. Much more of who we are is genetic than we realise, and while we can do things counter to our genetic make-up, that's hard work, and it makes sense to be aware and choose where to fight your genetics, and where to go with it.

Robert Plomin is an excellent reader, his writing is very clear, and my guess is that he will carry most people through the technical aspects at least enough so they can appreciate and think about the consequences of the evidence.

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brilliance

Great explanation on DNA and the use of studies to back up his points. I have followed Robert Plomins work for a while, and he delivered very well with this book with a great narration.

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Informative but frustrating

This is basically two books. The second is an up to date and useful study of genetics in psychology, giving readers a strong grasp of the mechanics, opportunities and challenges of the field. The first is an awkward, dated analysis of twin studies - which lacks proper context in the biology of genetics and is beset by undisclosed methodological complications. It makes no sense for the book to have been written like this. Unless readers are already familiar with basic genetics, the first part will be baffling. Reading part 2 first probably makes a lot of sense, for beginners.
The book is beset by a range of fundamental strategic weaknesses. Not least of these is the odd reluctance of the author to engage with both his critics and with alternative scientific paradigms. For example, I recall no mention of the neonatal environment - which is now known to be important - particularly in the development of metabolism and sexuality. I'm confident that no mention of egg donation or surrogacy studies was made - which isolate the effect of the gestational environment. Environmental pollution is similarly not adequately mentioned - despite the fact that lead exposure is widely acknowledged to have lasting effects on IQ; similar criticism could be levelled regarding foetal alcohol exposure and childhood nutrient deficiency. The core methodology behind twin studies - essentially the whole first book - is never examined. Are identical and fraternal twins really treated the same by parents and educators? And are there no similarities worth mentioning between birth and adoptive families? Further, are socioeconomic factors the same for all children in a family, despite large age gaps?
I'm fundamentally sympathetic to the author's arguments, but found his methodology so flawed and his blind spots so large that it actually made me more cautious about his entire findings. Nevertheless, as a refresher on genetics, the second part is pretty good. Finally, the author narrates his own work well.

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Very Poor Science

Pomlin confidently speaks about conclusions with a level of certainty that would make any scientist wince. the first thing you understand about biology is nuance, yet Pomlin decrees any such nuance as trivial at best. He repeatedly states that DNA is the causal link to many behavioral traits and dismisses any link to environment as unstable and temporary. To do this you would have to discredit the huge evidence of epigenetics and gene regulation caused by environmental conditions. Pimlin decides that none of that should be in his book as they are a distraction. Instead, Pomlin reduces DNA down to its simplest and completely discredited form of genes are there and so a singular result is inevitable. Astonishing that this ideology still exists in the face of so much opposing evidence.

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