What Makes a Child Go Bad? Genes, Choice, and Punishment in Original Sin

This review reflects on Kathryn Paige Harden’s Original Sin through discussions in our Educational Genetics lab. We consider the book’s treatment of behavioural genetics, responsibility, punishment, religion, and parenting, highlighting both the power of Harden’s personal perspective and the limitations of its strongly American Evangelical framing. We conclude by reflecting on what science can, and cannot, tell us about why individuals behave badly.