Genetics and Reductionism

ISBN-13: 9780521637138 / Angielski / Miękka / 1998 / 260 str.

Sahotra Sarkar; Michael Ruse

Opis

With the advent of the Human Genome Project there have been many claims for the genetic origins of complex human behavior including insanity, criminality, and intelligence. But what does it really mean to call something "genetic"? This is the fundamental question that Sahotra Sarkar's book addresses. This important book clarifies the meaning of the term "genetic," shows how molecular studies have affected genetics, and provides the philosophical background necessary to understand the debates over the Human Genome Project. It will be of particular interest to professionals and students in the philosophy of science, the history of science, and the social studies of science, medicine, and technology.

Spis treści

Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Types of reduction: formal issues; 3. Types of reduction: substantive issues; 4. The obsession with heritability; 5. Reduction and classical genetics; 6. Reduction and molecular biology; 7. Concluding polemics; Notes; References; Index.