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  • © 2007

The Influence of Genetics on Contemporary Thinking

  • Provides information about recent research results in genetics and related disciplines
  • Shows the way in which those results influence genetics itself and many other fields
  • Explains the impact of genetics on contemporary culture
  • Describes contemporary public policy debates related to genetics
  • Contains the most recent views of the Nobel Laureate François Jacob on genetics and the nature of living things

Part of the book series: Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science (LEUS, volume 6)

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-LVI
  2. Genetics And The Life Sciences

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 2-2
    2. Genetics and the human lineage

      • Francisco José Ayala, Miguel Ángel Capó, Camilo José Cela-Conde, Marcos Nadal
      Pages 3-23
    3. Genetics and Neuroscience

      • Claude Debru
      Pages 25-32
    4. Who made the Genetic Codes, How and by What?

      • Koichiro Matsuno
      Pages 33-50
    5. Genetics, Life and Death

      • Michel Morange
      Pages 51-60
  3. Genetics and Philosophy of Science: The Reductionism Debate and Beyond

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 62-62
    2. Epi-Geneticization

      • Linda Van Speybroeck, Gertrudis Van De Vijver, Dani De Waele
      Pages 115-133
  4. Genetics and the Ethical, Legal and Sociological Debate

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 136-136
    2. Is DNA Revolutionizing Medicine?

      • Anne Fagot-Largeault
      Pages 137-150
    3. The Harm of Being a Clone

      • Jean-Yves Goffi
      Pages 151-163
    4. Children of One’s Own

      • Jonathan Michael Kaplan
      Pages 165-180
    5. Genetics and Society: a Different View

      • Juan Manuel Torres
      Pages 195-206
  5. Back Matter

About this book

This volume reflects on the effects of recent discoveries in genetics on a broad range of scientific fields. In addition to neuroscience, evolutionary biology, anthropology and medicine, contributors analyze the effects of genetics on theories of health, law, epistemology and philosophy of biology. Social and moral concerns about the relationship between genetics, society and the individual also figure prominently. Genetic discoveries fuel central contemporary public policy debates concerning, for example, human cloning, equitable access to healthcare or the role of genetics in medicine. Perhaps more fundamentally, advances in genetics are altering our perception of human life and death.

An interview with François Jacob by Anne Fagot-Largeault opens the volume. In this interview, Jacob, who shared a Nobel Prize with André Lwoff and Jacques Monod for their discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis, addresses many of the central methodological epistemological and ethical questions covered in the volume. The dynamic interdisciplinary character of this volume makes it relevant to scholars from many disciplines, from biology, philosophy and the social sciences.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This ambitious book aims to survey the influence of genetics and molecular biology on contemporary thought quite generally. [...] Highlights of the first section include an excellent introduction to what genetics has taught us about human origins by Francisco Ayala and his group of Spanish collaborators. [...] The section devoted to philosophy of science is particularly strong."
Paul Griffiths, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia in Metascience

"Organized in three main sections: ‘Genetics and the Life Sciences’; ‘Genetics and the Philosophy of Science: The Reductionism Debate and Beyond’; and ‘Genetics and the Ethical, Legal and Sociological Debate’, these contributions are more informative about what other disciplines have to say about genetics … . those who keep reading will be rewarded. When judged upon their merit as stand-alone pieces … the chapters are highly stimulating." (Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, Vol. 11 (3), 2008)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Collége de France, Paris, France

    Anne Fagot-Largeault

  • Université de Lille, Paris, France

    Shahid Rahman

  • Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal and Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Juan Manuel Torres

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access