What's the difference between something being genetic and something being hereditary?

Question

What's the difference between something being genetic and something being hereditary?

Answer 1

No difference.

Answer 2

There isn't really any difference.  Genetics is the science of heredity.  They really are synonyms, and we use them pretty much interchangeably.  Genetics is a newer word, but you can still say something is a 'hereditary disorder' or a 'genetic disorder' and you would be saying exactly the same thing.

Cool question, though!

Answer 3

Something that is genetic is caused by DNA.  That is, you can find the root source of the trait in the DNA.

Something that is hereditary is something that is passed down to offspring.

Most traits that are genetic are also hereditary. In fact, the two terms are often used interchangeably.  When parents with blue eyes have a child with blue eyes, is it because they passed down the genes for blue eyes to their child (genetic), and that passing down of traits is hereditary.

There are a few situations where they are different.  Down Syndrome is a good example--it is caused by genetics (an extra chromosome or partial chromosome), but neither parent has that genetic condition, so they don't pass it down.  Cancer would be another example.  While genes that make someone more susceptible to cancer would be both genetic and hereditary, the cancer itself--caused by mutations in the DNA during the person's life--is not hereditary.

Some do not consider culture to be hereditary, but it does fit the definition.  When Christian parents raise their children as Christians, they pass that trait--Christianity--down to their children.  There isn't a Christian gene, though.  There could be genes that relate to certain behaviors that are common to fitting in with the Christian group, however; no one knows how kindness or cruelty are passed on, whether or not there is a genetic component, or if it is more purely environmental.

Most consider that there is some level of genetics involved with behavior.  Identical twins raised by different families share a decent amount of personality.  They would be identical in personality if it were purely genetics.  If it was purely environmental, you would expect two children raised in the same conditions to be the same (such as non-identical twins).  Obviously neither is completely true--it's probably a mix.

What it comes down to in the end:  Genetics means DNA-caused.  It means an actual gene (or group of genes) is involved.  Hereditary means passing a trait on to your children, and while it typically refers to genetic traits, it can also refer to cultural traits.