But there is tempting evidence of a hereditary component to political choices.
The setback, the first of many, was a result of a hereditary and severe form of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis.
In place of a powerful concept of citizen's rights and responsibilities, we are still subjects of a hereditary monarchy.
Formal government among the Mojave consisted mainly of a hereditary tribal chief who functioned as a leader and adviser.
"Royalty and the public should both be freed from the anachronism of a hereditary monarchy", its editorial opined.
But people still bridle at the notion of a hereditary presidency, however subtly cooked, daintily garnished and elegantly presented.
Last week, Hong Kong's legislature passed a law banning sex selection, except in cases when it is necessary to prevent the transmission of a hereditary disease.
Both became schoolteachers, and they might never have taken up photography if they hadn't both lost their hearing in their 30's, possibly because of a hereditary disorder.
Then there is the emergence of Napoleon and the resurrection of a hereditary monarchy presided over by a tyrant not all that different from those who preceded him.
All we wanted were pretty people to look at in movies and in Vogue, and we went and created the modern equivalent of a hereditary peerage, by mistake.
Because of a hereditary condition, her kidneys do not function properly, and she depends on the dialysis to clean her blood.
