Original Sin - by Kathryn Paige Harden (Hardcover)

About the Book

"As one of the world's leading scientists examining how our DNA shapes differences in temperament, temptation and behaviour, Kathryn Paige Harden has seen firsthand how we-in public and in our most private relationships-continue to struggle with the ancient tensions between nature and nurture, freedom and constraint, the desire to punish and the longing to forgive. In Original Sin, she weaves together insights from her own experience as a daughter, mother, wife, and scientist with cutting-edge research in genetics and psychology to grapple with some of the most important questions in modern life: How do we take responsibility for the people we become, knowing how we are shaped by both biology and experience? How should we respond when people hurt each other-or themselves? And has science made guilt obsolete? Navigating the psychological and biological terrain of addiction, antisocial behaviour and violence, Harden confronts the discomforting ways science unsettles our understanding of wrongdoing and choice. In doing so she asks us not to absolve, but to reckon differently with notions of fairness and blame. A revelatory inquiry into the uneasy space where human behaviour meets inherited biology, Original Sin challenges us to imagine a more humane vision of accountability-for ourselves and for one another"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A daring and intimate exploration of how genetics complicates our ideas about blame, punishment, and moral responsibility, from acclaimed psychologist and author of The Genetic Lottery Kathryn Paige Harden.

"An extraordinary book, the very best of science writing, because it is about not just science--it is memoir, history, bleeding-edge genetics, and a completely original take on original sin."--Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived

As one of the world's leading scientists examining how our DNA shapes differences in temperament, temptation, and behavior, Kathryn Paige Harden has seen firsthand how we continue to struggle--in public and in our most private relationships--with the ancient tensions between nature and nurture, freedom and constraint, the desire to punish and the longing to forgive.

In Original Sin, she weaves together insights from her own experience as a daughter, mother, wife, and scientist with cutting-edge research in genetics and psychology to grapple with some of the most important questions in modern life: How do we take responsibility for the people we become, knowing how we are shaped by both biology and experience? How should we respond when people hurt each other--or themselves? And has science made guilt obsolete?

Navigating the psychological and biological terrain of addiction, antisocial behavior, and violence, Harden confronts the disorienting ways science unsettles our understanding of wrongdoing and choice. In doing so, she asks us not to absolve but to reckon differently with notions of fairness and blame. A revelatory inquiry into the uneasy space where human behavior meets inherited biology, Original Sin challenges us to imagine a more humane vision of accountability--for ourselves and for one another.

Review Quotes

"An extraordinary book, the very best of science writing, because it is about not just science--it is memoir, history, bleeding-edge genetics, and a completely original take on original sin. . . . Thrilling, entertaining, provocative, brilliant."--Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived

"Unique, expansive, and illuminating--a mix of religion and genetics that interweaves intensely personal storytelling with rigidly objective science to explore big questions about the bad things we have the capacity to do."--John Higgs, author of William Blake vs. the World

"Even if you have no interest in the concept of sin, this is a compelling read. Harden's bottom line is that we subjective beings are morally responsible for our actions (sorry), despite the fact that we also tick along deterministically. This emotionally startling and intellectually erudite book explains why."--Mark Solms, neuroscientist, psychoanalyst, and author of The Only Cure

"Original Sin offers an eye-opening perspective on possible genetic links to antisocial behavior. Those who can accept that there is nothing inherently amoral about having an unconventional experience of emotion will see the positive and potentially life-changing impact this understanding can have on stigmatized and marginalized antisocial youth."--Patric Gagne, author of Sociopath

"A tour de force that invites us to go deep into questions about why people do terrible things and how we should treat them afterward."--Gwen Adshead, author of The Devil You Know

"A powerful read that stops you dead in your tracks and forces you to think very deeply."--Sue Black, author of All That Remains

About the Author

Kathryn Paige Harden is a professor in the department of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab. Harden received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia and completed her clinical internship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She has been honored by the American Psychological Association for her distinguished scientific contributions to the study of genetics and human individual differences.