Scott Alexander argues that biological solutions to societal problems may be more effective and easier to implement than social interventions, challenging common perceptions about mutability of human characteristics.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander challenges the stereotype that the Left believes human characteristics are socially determined and mutable, while the Right believes they are biologically determined and fixed. He argues that society is actually very difficult to change, while biological factors can often be more easily addressed. He provides examples such as drug abuse, obesity, and poor school performance, where social interventions have largely failed but biological solutions (like banning lead or vitamin supplementation) have shown promising results. The post suggests that we should not dismiss biological explanations and solutions to societal problems, as they may be more tractable than purely social approaches.
Shorter summary