# Genes and Experience Shape the Mind by David Lykken > “The mind consists of genetically-determined hardware and experientially-determined software. The hardware components are not constructed by genes working either individually or additively but, rather, by groups of genes working sequentially and configurally.” > **— David Lykken**, *2004 Edge Annual Question, response passage* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication and locator:** [Lykken'st Law — David Lykken](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11885) — 2004 Annual Question response, contiguous sentence(s) within the representative extract. - **Exact original excerpt:** “The mind consists of genetically-determined hardware and experientially-determined software. The hardware components are not constructed by genes working either individually or additively but, rather, by groups of genes working sequentially and configurally. Each human mating produces at least some gene configurations that are unique, having never occurred previously. This is why, among other things, human genius often occurs uniquely in an otherwise undistinguished family line.” - **Context and editing:** The poster takes two contiguous opening sentences; Lykken continues with a claim about unique gene configurations in individuals. No editorial words were inserted. - **Local Edge archive:** [[research/Edge 2004 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2004 Full Quotation Curation]], response EDGE2004-017. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Cognitive Architecture|Cognitive Architecture]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Cognitive Architecture|Cognitive Architecture]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “The mind consists of genetically-determined hardware and experientially-determined software. The hardware components are not constructed by genes working either individually or additively but, rather, by groups of genes working sequentially and configurally.” — David Lykken, 2004 Edge Annual Question, response passage https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-david-lykken-genes-experience-shape-mind ```