Book excerpt: Few scientific debates have been more protracted and intense than whether we are born with our cognitive ability, whether our environment moulds it or whether these two things interact to produce it. The Origins of Human Potential offers a new insight into the arguments by showing that many of the assumptions on both sides, are false. Ken Richardson re-examines evidence about the nature of genes in development, the environment and the development of cognitive ability and the nature of cognitive ability itself. Can it really be measured in an IQ test, like height or weight? Ken Richardson's human-centred view describes the evolutionary context of our dynamic, changeable environments and the creative individual at the heart of the debate. It will be of great relevance to psychologists and education policy makers and should be read by all those with an interest in our children's future.