Even if differences in human behavior are accepted as having an important genetic component, society might still choose to focus on improving the environment. Responding to a 1977 comment by hereditarian psychologist Hans Eysenck (1916–1997) that genetic interpretations of a twin study on “earning capacity” suggested that the British Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth should “pack up,” the American economist Arthur Goldberger (1930–2009) wittily responded:
If it were shown that a large proportion of the variance in eyesight were due to genetic causes, then the Royal Commission on the Distribution of Eyeglasses might as well pack up. And if it were shown that most of the variation in rainfall is due to natural causes, then the Royal Commission on the Distribution of Umbrellas could pack up too. (Goldberger, 1979, p. 337)
– Jay Joseph in The Trouble With Twin Studies
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