We are told that twins show differences at birth. So why are twin studies that supposedly identify the gay gene or the religion gene not just another big social studies racket?
Human twins are not bacteria colonies. The reasons why one or both are even available for adoption must be factored in to any findings.
How many families leave a twin behind at the hospital, for someone else to bring up, because they only wanted one kid?
How many adoptive parents wouldn’t just grab a chance to acquire both, if offered?
If they are infertile to begin with, which is why they are in the market anyway, two-for-one is actually a solution, not a problem.
And then they don’t have the problem, either, that one of the kids is being raised by someone they don’t know, and their own kid wants to get in touch, and then there’s the birth mother too, yada, yada, maybe a birth father, yoo-HOO!! To who?
If you like soap operas, you’ll love the chance to live in a really complex plot, involving all kinds of people who made decisions you never would have. Otherwise, you might perhaps want to discreetly acquire both twins, to reduce the complexity somewhat.
No, seriously, not enough attention is being paid to the social circumstances under which a pair of twins comes up for separate adoption. Surely that affects everyone involved.
But now, what about this epigenetics thing? Doesn’t that just slam the whole genetic determinist gene business (gay gene, fat gene, infidelity gene, religion gene) into the dumpster?
Thoughts?