What role does DNA play in nation building? Can hundreds of years of natural selection provide the genetic basis for a high achievement culture? These are taboo questions–unless you are Ron Unz, the provocative publisher of and feature writer for the American Conservative. He tackles the emergence of ‘meritocracy’ in China, where it has helped transform the Middle Kingdom from a mostly rural and backward country into the fastest growing nation in the history of the world. What are the roots of Chinese success? He discusses the complex interplay of social forces and innate tendencies–and why China is emerging as an epicenter of advanced genetic research.

Read the full article here: How Social Darwinism Made Modern China