Commercial companies in the United States are already offering to select embryos based on genetically predicted intelligence. Niels Rietveld, Professor of Economics and Genetics at Erasmus School of Economics, warns: ‘Genes tell only part of the story. We must be careful not to create a society in which genetics becomes too dominant.’
According to Rietveld, who studies the interaction between economics and genetics, genes do influence a person’s educational attainment, but environmental factors are at least as important. ‘Roughly forty per cent of the variation in educational levels is genetically determined,’ he says. ‘Thirty per cent is due to family circumstances, and thirty per cent to random events in a person’s life.’
DNA gains meaning within its social context
The professor stresses that genetic predisposition cannot be seen separately from societal context. ‘Fifty years ago, boys on average had higher levels of education than girls. Their DNA has remained the same, but society has changed. This shows that genes only gain meaning within their environment.’
Rietveld is concerned about the growing commercial use of genetic knowledge. ‘In the US, parents can already select embryos for a ‘higher IQ’. I find that a dangerous development. It evokes the spectre of eugenics,’ he says. ‘Genes still predict IQ very inaccurately, and traits are genetically intertwined. A higher chance of a high IQ may also come with an increased risk of certain diseases.’
Genetic research can enrich the debate on inequality of opportunity
Nevertheless, insights from genetic research can help deepen the debate on inequality of opportunity. ‘Even if we remove all social barriers, genetic differences between people will remain,’ says Rietveld. ‘But that does not mean we should value people unequally. Diversity is valuable.’ The professor argues that genetic knowledge should be used to improve policy, not to select people. ‘My own children differ from each other: one learns faster, the other is more creative. That is life – and it is something we should cherish.’
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Read the full interview with Niels Rietveld from the Dutch national newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD), published on 15 November 2025.
For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media & Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, mobile: +31 6 53 641 846.
