This essay interprets Francis Galton’s explicit concerns about biological inheritance in terms of his implicit views of the appropriate role of his social stratum.  The pattern of regression means that exceptional individuals in one generation cannot rely on biological heredity to guarantee that their offspring will be part of the next generation’s exceptional individuals. Interpretation of Galton's concerns with regression points to social and scientific issues that still require examination and clarification: confusions about the relationship between meritocracy and heredity; the persistence of typological thinking; and how directly we expect patterns in data to provide insight about processes. An initial classroom activity establishes the pedagogical tone for the essay, with its emphasis on fundamental concepts accessible to non-specialists and on motivating themes that open up inquiry into complexity.  The essay as a whole exemplifies and promotes more self-conscious attention to the ways that our interpretations in and of science are intended to influence change in science and in society.