Comments on: Caplan’s Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids http://www.gnxp.com/new/2011/05/09/caplans-selfish-reasons-to-have-more-kids/ Genetics Tue, 03 Apr 2018 05:20:42 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.27 By: ben g http://www.gnxp.com/new/2011/05/09/caplans-selfish-reasons-to-have-more-kids/#comment-2629 Wed, 11 May 2011 01:36:24 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=1307#comment-2629 By any non-supernatural definition, “free will” refers to behaviors that emanate directly from an individuals mind rather than external factors.

Variation in the mind is a product solely of genes and environments, so we would expect free will to be influenced by both. To separate them from free will as Caplan does is a logical error.

]]> By: TGGP http://www.gnxp.com/new/2011/05/09/caplans-selfish-reasons-to-have-more-kids/#comment-2628 Tue, 10 May 2011 13:31:57 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=1307#comment-2628 Just goes to show, it pays to regularly read GNXP!

]]> By: Jason Collins http://www.gnxp.com/new/2011/05/09/caplans-selfish-reasons-to-have-more-kids/#comment-2627 Mon, 09 May 2011 14:10:58 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=1307#comment-2627 TGGP, I wasn’t aware of that literature on noise, so thanks for the link. If all the remaining variation is noise, my expectation will be wrong (as I wasn’t including random variation in my definition of non-shared environment). However, its not time to give up looking yet!

]]> By: TGGP http://www.gnxp.com/new/2011/05/09/caplans-selfish-reasons-to-have-more-kids/#comment-2626 Mon, 09 May 2011 13:41:26 +0000 http://www.gnxp.com/wp/?p=1307#comment-2626 “Free-will” is a poor explanation, but I believe there is unexplained variance for purely physical traits like height as well. What if it’s not that or peer effects but noise?

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