"The political implication, which has drawn some flak in the comments, but which I think is correct is that there is no point in political engagement with authoritarian conservatives. In a political environment where they are concentrated in one party,politics is going to be a matter the only strategy open to liberals is to outnumber and outvote them by peeling off as many peripheral groups (for example, those who deviate from the approved cultural identity in some way) as possible. Obviously, that’s an unpalatable conclusion in all sorts of ways, but I think it’s a valid one."

We were all taught to believe in the paradigm of innate intelligence and gene-given talent, "gifts, and no one is going to be convinced otherwise by a few micro-biographical fragments. I go into much greater depth about gene expression and the nuances of the new developmental model of talent (Hint: It doesn't mean we all control our own destiny, or that it all comes down to hard work). Over time, we'll learn to think past the black and white notion of nature vs. nurture. And the world will be a richer place for it.