Episode · EconTalk · 2026-01-19
Books mentioned on Nature, Nurture, and Identical Twins (with David Bessis)
Are your genes your destiny? Despite famous studies of identical twins that seem to answer in the affirmative, mathematician David Bessis says: Not so fast.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Mathematica
Mathematica by David Bessis is a thought-provoking book that explores how our minds work, championing intuition and challenging formal, intimidating approaches to mathematics.
Discussed“He was last here in October of 2025 discussing his marvelous book Mathematica.”
Where to get it
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The Blank Slate
The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker is a thought-provoking exploration of human nature that challenges traditional dogmas regarding blank slate theories, genetic determinism, and the innate biological foundations of behavior.
Discussed“That's one of the thing that Steven Pinkers mentioned in his book. You know, every every parent of two kids starts to think that things are genetic because they're so different.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Own book Mathematica
“I I saw that post when I was um making the final corrections on on my book before the publication on of the American edition and I was really disturbed.”