Eric Henderson

Biology and Bias

I just read an eloquent article in Nature (a premiere science journal) in which the author discusses our need to become aware of our own biases in order to overcome them. Of course, this is true and critical. That said, there is truth in the premise that bias in built into our biology. Some of the evidence is overtly obvious, if you are five feet tall the chances of being a top tier professional basketball player are small to none hence coaches in college will exclude you because their goal is to win, not to make you feel good about yourself. Then there are much more subtle biases, many impacted (profoundly) by nurture (environment) but, as always, nurture acts upon, and responds to, the code that defines a living system, namely, nature (your DNA).