ESSGN

@DamienMorris @IsaacKing314 The main point still stands: we agree that this was a hasty (and poorly worded) solution, and it is unlikely to show up again in future conference registrations.

@DamienMorris @IsaacKing314 The intended point was not at all that this was somehow your fault (your submission was accepted) - only that the Bristol organizers would perhaps have been more likely to engage on the substance of your argument if there had been less of a time pinch.

The @ESSGNetwork just refused to let me participate in their conference in May because, as a matter of conscience, I refused to sign their ethically & politically contentious statement of principles. I guess freedom of conscience does not exist in social science genetics in 2025.

@dcwuser The registration deadline was a month ago, and the program was set two weeks ago. For reference, the (extraordinarily varied and fascinating) schedule can be found here: essgn.org/wp-content/upl…

@ESSGNetwork I am glad you are reconsidering political litmus tests. Does the fact that you are reconsidering it “in the future” mean you still require it for participation in this conference?

1. We’d like to clarify the situation on the "code of conduct" presented to attendees of the ESSGN conference. This was an early internal draft that was prepared somewhat hastily. In retrospect, asking attendees to sign it was premature and has understandably raised concerns.

@IsaacKing314 As both you and Damien point out, there can be nuanced and legitimate disagreement over the definitions of some of these words, and the earlier formulations were clumsy in a way that missed the intended mark. Hence the multiple rounds of revision since.

@ESSGNetwork It's not a "semantic point" except in the trivial sense that every point is expressed semantically. You're claiming to be open to people with different viewpoints, but your original statement principles *expressly* excluded a large fraction of potential attendees.

@IsaacKing314 To be clear, he would likely still have been able to register - his paper had already been accepted. But one could imagine that the organizers would have been more likely to engage with his points (and perhaps raise it with the board) if the conversation had happened a month ago.

@ESSGNetwork Thanks for the response. If Damien applied too late, then obviously that's not your fault. But in that case I'm confused why the rejection email focused on his objection to your statement of principles rather than the clear-cut and uncontroversial failure to meet the deadline.

@IsaacKing314 Fair semantic point - the statement did use the exact wording of "eugenic ideology." Whether this has any implications for political ideology more broadly is arguably a different question, and no such connotations were intended.

@ESSGNetwork Honest question here: What is the point of lying in such an easily verifiable way? You're literally quoting a screenshot where you say "we reject eugenic ideology", and now you claim you didn't intend to take an ideological position?

@IsaacKing314 An important missing piece of information (from the point of view of the organizers) is that the registration deadline was almost a month ago. The posted exchange about the attempted registration happened yesterday.

@IsaacKing314 Both things can be true. The board backed having a statement in the conference registration. This early draft ended up being that statement due to a short time frame. It has since been revised after multiple rounds of feedback from members.

@AlexTISYoung @SashaGusevPosts

3. Since the submission deadline, we’ve gone through several revisions of this code based on feedback from our members. We’re now taking time to reconsider whether it’s appropriate to ask conference participants to sign it in the future. We appreciate the honest dialogue!

🚨 Call for Papers: Behavioral Genetics as a Public Science 🧬📃 Exploring the broader impact, misinterpretations, and ethical implications of behavioral genetics research. 🔗 Submit a 300-word abstract by Jan 31, 2025! Full details here: link.springer.com/journal/10519/…

One more week until the abstract submission deadline for #eshg2025 #hybridconference! Do not forget to submit your abstract until Thursday, January 30, 2025, 23.59 h CET. All information can be found on our website: 2025.eshg.org/abstracts/ #genetics #genomes

Want to get out of Dodge? Do a postdoc @UniOslo! You will be using @MoBa_study and registers to study intergenerational transmission and GxE for #MentalHealth and #education using @BehaviorGenetic and @PGCgenetics approaches. Please share! jobbnorge.no/en/available-j…

Abstract submission for #eshg2025 is open! The Scientific Programme Committee invites abstracts to be submitted for inclusion in the programme as posters or oral presentations until 30th January 2025. More information found on the conference website: 2025.eshg.org/abstracts/

Submissions are now open for the 2025 installment of the ESSGN Conference in beautiful Bristol, 22-23 May! essgn.org/essgn-conferen…

📢 18th Winter School on Inequality and Social Welfare Theory (IT18) January 6-11, 2025 in Alba di Canazei 🇮🇹 ✉️ @CESifoNetwork at University of Munich, the @dseunivr and @LISER_LC are glad to announce the 'Call for Applications' for the Eighteenth Winter School on #Inequality and #SocialWelfare Theory (IT18): Inequality and Big Challenges. This year, the challenges include: 👉Genes-environment interactions and #humancapital 👉 Early environment, expectations, aspirations and #mobility 👉#Poverty across the globe 👉 Political economy and #policymaking 🔎 For more details and to apply, click on the following link: liser.lu/?type=news&id=…

Open position at IARC: careers.who.int/careersection/…

was great to attend #bga2024, as always, and catch up with friends and colleagues. Excited to have presented our @eagle_genetics work on social behaviour and honoured to hace received a BGA award in such a pretty building. made it feel extra special 🤍✨