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Biology, Ideology, and Epistemology: How Do We Know Political Attitudes Are Inherited and Why Should We Care?
Author(s) -
Smith Kevin,
Alford John R.,
Hatemi Peter K.,
Eaves Lindon J.,
Funk Carolyn,
Hibbing John R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
american journal of political science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.347
H-Index - 170
eISSN - 1540-5907
pISSN - 0092-5853
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2011.00560.x
Subject(s) - ideology , mainstream , politics , socialization , social psychology , epistemology , political socialization , psychology , motivated reasoning , sociology , positive economics , american political science , political science , law , economics , philosophy
Evidence that political attitudes and behavior are in part biologically and even genetically instantiated is much discussed in political science of late. Yet the classic twin design, a primary source of evidence on this matter, has been criticized for being biased toward finding genetic influence. In this article, we employ a new data source to test empirically the alternative, exclusively environmental, explanations for ideological similarities between twins. We find little support for these explanations and argue that even if we treat them as wholly correct, they provide reasons for political science to pay more rather than less attention to the biological basis of attitudes and behaviors. Our analysis suggests that the mainstream socialization paradigm for explaining attitudes and behaviors is not necessarily incorrect but is substantively incomplete.