What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedNot in Our Genes
Richard C. Lewontin, Steven Peter Russell Rose, Leon J. Kamin · Book · 1984
If you loved Not in Our Genes, start with All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (Adam Curtis, 2011) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Not in Our Genes across media.
You appreciate how Not in Our Genes exposes the dangerous ways ideological biases are hidden behind the veneer of objective scientific authority.
Films on the same thread
Gattaca
Andrew Niccol · Film · 1997
Explores: Genetic Discrimination, Social Engineering, Identity Theft.
Like Not in Our Genes, this film critiques the societal consequences of genetic determinism and the ways systems of power weaponize biological traits to reinforce inequality and discrimination.
A Clockwork Orange
Stanley Kubrick · Film · 1971
Explores: Free Will vs. Determinism, Societal Control, Violence and Redemption.
This story mirrors the skepticism toward behaviorist control found in Not in Our Genes, illustrating how scientific institutions can be used to justify the erasure of individual free will.
Citizen Kane
Orson Welles · Film · 1941
Explores: Loss of Innocence, The American Dream, Power and Corruption.
While focused on a singular life, this film captures the same tension between environment and inherent nature explored in Not in Our Genes, questioning how backgrounds shape our identities.
Night and Fog
Alain Resnais · Film · 1956
Explores: collective memory, the banality of evil, witness testimony.
This documentary echoes the warnings in Not in Our Genes about how pseudoscientific ideologies can be weaponized to dehumanize populations and justify the most horrific systemic abuses of power.
Series on the same thread
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Carl Sagan · Series · 1980
Explores: Cosmology, Origin of Life, Scientific History.
If you valued the humanistic approach to scientific history in Not in Our Genes, you will appreciate how this series contextualizes our biological existence within a much larger framework.
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace
Adam Curtis · Series · 2011
Explores: Technology and Society, Artificial Intelligence, Social Control.
This series shares the critical eye of Not in Our Genes, deconstructing the way modern society allows technological and algorithmic frameworks to dictate our perception of human reality.
Life on Earth
Series · 1979
Explores: Evolution, Biodiversity, Natural Selection.
This provides a grounded look at evolutionary biology that complements the critique of biological reductionism in Not in Our Genes, emphasizing biodiversity over deterministic or simplistic genetic narratives.
Connections
James Burke · Series · 1978
Explores: Interconnectedness, Historical Causality, Non-linear History.
This series aligns with the intellectual rigor of Not in Our Genes by rejecting teleological views of history and exposing the complex, non-linear roots of modern scientific progress.
Podcasts on the same thread
Maintenance Phase
Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes · Podcast · 2026
Explores: scientific literacy, consumer protection, critical thinking.
This podcast carries on the tradition of Not in Our Genes by applying rigorous skepticism to pop-science claims, exposing how junk science is often used to manipulate public perception.
Making Sense with Sam Harris
Podcast
Explores: neuroscience, ethics, secularism.
Engage with these conversations if you enjoy the challenging, interdisciplinary analysis of neuroscience and societal ethics that defined the intellectual project presented in Not in Our Genes.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What is the primary focus of Not in Our Genes?
Not in Our Genes is a 1984 book written by Richard C. Lewontin, Steven Peter Russell Rose, and Leon J. Kamin. The text provides an analysis of the scientific, social, and political roots of biological determinism as explored by these three eminent scientists.
Who are the authors of Not in Our Genes?
The authors of Not in Our Genes are Richard C. Lewontin, Steven Peter Russell Rose, and Leon J. Kamin. These three individuals are identified as eminent scientists who collaborated to analyze the foundations of biological determinism within the social and political contexts of the era.
Is Not in Our Genes a historical work?
Yes, Not in Our Genes was published in 1984. It serves as a scholarly analysis where three scientists examine the origins of biological determinism, looking specifically at how social and political factors have influenced scientific thought throughout the period leading up to its publication.
What themes does Not in Our Genes explore?
Not in Our Genes explores the intersection of science, society, and politics. The authors investigate how biological determinism is shaped by these external influences, providing a critical analysis of the scientific roots behind theories that suggest human behavior and social structures are determined by biological factors.