Huge debate. Is genius genetic? And ultimately, who wins the battle? Nature or nurture?
Well, if you haven't heard of this ridiculous experiment then pay attention. It's as interesting as it is bizarre.
The Experiment:
A few decades ago, tycoon Robert Graham decided that there were "too many stupid people in the world" and so he created the Repository for Germinal Choice or in layman's terms, the genius sperm bank.
It was like catalog shopping for a sperm donor. Specimens were even color coded. Fuchia meant the donor was a world champion in his field. Turquoise meant he headed a research lab. And moss meant that the donor played the flute and the guitar. I wonder what orange means.
Graham's sperm bank has been closed since 1999 but has allegedly fathered over 200 children. In the end his sperm bank was mocked and even picketed since eugenics had long been dropped from intellectual circles.
In scientific cases, researchers were able to isolate "genius genes." But this has only been done on mice and even then, if you have all the talent in the world but don't practice, your talent won't shine.
The Experimental Genius Children:
There was actually an interview conducted with one of the genius children who came from the genius sperm bank. Her conclusion was that she was a mix between nature and nurture. Though in the same interview, a researcher makes a very good point. A woman who will go to a genius sperm bank to begin with is someone who is determined to raise an intelligent child. And this thinking would surely affect how the child was raised.
Out of the 200+ children from the repository maybe only 1 was a stereotypical genius and that would be Doron Blake.
Take it from Doron Blake, a genius baby from Graham's repository. And this kid was a genius by any means. He even had an IQ of 180 by the time he was 6! But things weren't always so rosy. As Doron puts it:
"It was a screwed-up idea, making genius people. The fact that I have a huge IQ does not make me a person who is good or happy. People come expecting me to have all these achievements under my belt, and I don't. I have not done anything that special. I don't think being intelligent is what makes a person. What makes a person is being raised in a loving family with loving parents who don't pressure them. If I was born with an IQ of 100 and not 180, I could do just as much in my life. The thing I like best about myself is not that I'm smart but that I care about people and try to make other people's lives better. I don't think you can breed for good people."
But Doron's story is a cautionary tale. Especially if you constantly put pressure and stress on your children to live up to YOUR standards. For his whole life, Doron was expected to be a genius and because of it he is often emotionally and socially inept.
What This Means For Parents:
There is a double meaning behind this whole story. That nurture is still stronger than nature and that the way society perceives genius isn't always correct or supportive. While Doron may be considered evidence that genetics determines intelligence, there are just as many cases out there of children who came from average-IQ parents. So if you're IQ isn't at 180, don't fret. Your children still can be geniuses anyway!
And as for forcing your expectations upon your child? Sometimes the consequences are a delight. But often they're not. Help discover your child's passions and their own genius will come out.
Genius at the sperm bank probably is possible. But if you put this article together with the Lefkoe article what do you get?