Behavioral Genetics: The Clash of Culture and Biology

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This book provides a very useful introduction to key debates in and about behavioral genetics. A nice range of topics and perspectives is provided, many by leaders in the fields of biology, psychology, sociology, ethics, etc. Several articles (such as those by tobin, duster, and carson) are extremely insightful and informative, and purchase of the book is worthwhile for the articles alone.

(If only it were in paperback!)

But, like many edited volumes that cover "hot" topics, this book suffers from a lack of coherence. As noted by the professional reviewer, one must wonder to what "clash" the editors refer - even when contained in the same volume, authors of different perspectives seem to talk past each other rather than "clash," and the editors don't really put the debates in a perspective that illuminates the perceived relationship between the two constructs of biology and culture. Indeed, the book jacket reveals the focus to be quite different than advertised: "Throughout, [the authors] focus on two basic concerns: the quality of the science behind behavioral genetic claims and the need to formulate an appropriate, ethically defensible response when the science turns out to be good." While this is certainly a worthwhile topic, it is not nearly as intellectually challenging or interesting as the title promises. Nevertheless, some selections deliver.

Author(s): Ronald A. Carson, Mark A. Rothstein, Floyd E. Bloom
Edition: 1
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Year: 1999

Language: English
Pages: 226

Behavioral Genetics- The Clash of Culture and Biology......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Foreword......Page 8
Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 10
Contributors......Page 16
1. Amazing Grace......Page 19
2. In the Mainstream: Research in Behavioral Genetics 12......Page 30
3. Identifying the Molecular Genetic Basis of Behavioral Traits 35......Page 53
4. Complexity and Research Strategies in Behavioral Genetic 61......Page 79
5. Behavioral Genetic Determinism: Its Effects on Culture and Law 89......Page 107
6. Predicting and Punishing Antisocial Acts: How the Criminal Justice System Might Use Behavioral Genetics 116......Page 134
7. Behavioral Genetics and Dismantling the Welfare State 156......Page 174
8. The Social Consequences of Genetic Disclosure 172......Page 190
9. The Fate of the Responsible Self in a Genetic Age 189......Page 207
Index 201......Page 219