Biological determinism

Biological determinism, also known as genetic determinism, is the belief that human behaviour is directly controlled by an individual’s genes or some component of their physiology, generally at the expense of the role of the environment, whether in embryonic development or in learning. Genetic reductionism is a similar concept, but it is distinct from genetic determinism in that the former refers to the level of understanding, while the latter refers to the supposed causal role of genes. Biological determinism has been associated with movements in science and society including eugenics, scientific racism, and the debates around the heritability of IQ, the basis of sexual orientation, and evolutionary foundations of cooperation in sociobiology.

In 1892, the German evolutionary biologist August Weismann proposed in his germ plasm theory that heritable information is transmitted only via germ cells, which he thought contained determinants (genes). The English polymath Francis Galton, supposing that undesirable traits such as club foot and criminality were inherited, advocated eugenics, aiming to prevent supposedly defective people from breeding. The American physician Samuel George Morton and the French physician Paul Broca attempted to relate the cranial capacity (internal skull volume) to skin colour, intending to show that white people were superior. Other workers such as the American psychologists H. H. Goddard and Robert Yerkes attempted to measure people’s intelligence and to show that the resulting scores were heritable, again to demonstrate the supposed superiority of people with white skin.

Galton popularized the phrase nature and nurture, later often used to characterize the heated debate over whether genes or the environment determined human behaviour. Scientists such as behavioural geneticists now see it as obvious that both factors are essential, and that they are intertwined, especially through the mechanisms of epigenetics. The American biologist E. O. Wilson, who founded the discipline of sociobiology based on observations of animals such as social insects, controversially suggested that its explanations of social behaviour might apply to humans.

wikipedia/en/Biological%20determinism

Biological essentialism is the belief that inherent, innate biological factors determine individual or group traits, such as behaviors, abilities, or identities, rather than being shaped by social or cultural influences. This perspective often asserts that biological sex dictates fundamental differences in character between men and women, leading to fixed social arrangements and limiting individual possibilities. Challenged by feminist, social constructivist, and queer theories, biological essentialism is criticized for oversimplifying complex human identities, perpetuating stereotypes, and invalidating the lived experiences of transgender and intersex individuals.

Key Aspects of Biological Essentialism

• Innate Traits: It posits that certain characteristics are inherent or “natural,” such as men being naturally better at decision-making and women naturally better at nurturing.
• Biological Determinism: It suggests that biology, genetics, or neurological factors are the sole or primary determinants of identity, abilities, and behaviors.
• Fixed Nature: It implies a fixed and unchanging nature or essence for individuals or groups, particularly for genders.
• Binary View: It often promotes a rigid male/female binary, ignoring the existence of intersex and non-binary individuals.

Critiques and Counterarguments

• Social Construction: Critics argue that gender differences are largely socially constructed and engineered, rather than being naturally determined.
• Oversimplification: Biological essentialism oversimplifies the complex interplay of biology, culture, and environment in shaping human identity.
• Harmful Consequences: It can reinforce stereotypes, justify discrimination, and hinder efforts to achieve gender equality.
• Invalidation of Identity: It is often used to invalidate the identities of transgender and non-binary people, reducing their experiences to purely biological factors.

Examples

• Gender Roles: The belief that women are inherently more nurturing and suited for childcare, leading to traditional divisions of labor.
• Gender Reveal Parties: These events are steeped in biological essentialism by focusing on a binary biological sex as the sole determinant of a person’s gender.
• Transgender Erasure: Arguments that claim transgender people have a “brain of the opposite gender” still rely on essentialist notions of fixed biological essences, rather than affirming their self-identified gender.