A new science focused on the gene – a term coined in 1909 – entered the Western intellectual scene at the start of the twentieth century. It was based on the rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's experiments and soon attracted popular and political attention. Since then, the gene has been variously embraced and rejected, honoured and ignored as the crucial factor behind social inequality, racial differences, individual intelligence and much more. Today, we all talk about what is in our DNA.
In this extended personal essay, Bengt Olle Bengtsson reflects on the power of the gene. He does this via a thorough analysis of the how the five main ideologies of our time – conservatism, social democracy, communism, Nazism and liberalism – have reacted to, and acted on, genetic ideas and results. As he shows, this has been a controversial and often passionate relationship. It has shaped politics, justified both social exclusion and unjust hierarchies and inspired ideas of community and identity.
Bengt Olle Bengtsson (1946–2025) was professor emeritus of genetics at Lund University, Sweden.