Genomes and What to Make of Them
288 pages
|
1 line drawing
|
6 x 9
|
© 2008
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction
1 By Way of Background
Inherited Traits
Inherited Molecules
Practices and Techniques
2 Genes, Genomes, and Molecular Genetics
Genes and DNA
DNA
Genetic Knowledges and Their Distribution
3 Genomes
What Are Genomes?
The Strange Case of the Epigenome
New Similarities and New Differences
Reducing Complexity
4 Genomics and Evolution
Classification
Evolution
Metagenomics
.
5 Genomics and Problems of Explanation
Astrological Genetics and Explanatory Genetics
Heritability
Astrological Genomics
Beyond Astrology
6 Genomics as Power
Accumulating Powers
Genomics and Social Powers
Resisting Genomic Powers
Arguments and Institutions
7 Natural Order and Human Dignity
The Order of Things
Dignity
Human Genomes and the Order of Things
Human Genomes and the Dignity of Human Life
Arguments and Institutions Again
8 Conclusions
Genomics as Power Again
Accounting for Exceptionalism
Life without Essences: Reduction as Emancipation
Bibliography
Index
1 By Way of Background
Inherited Traits
Inherited Molecules
Practices and Techniques
2 Genes, Genomes, and Molecular Genetics
Genes and DNA
DNA
Genetic Knowledges and Their Distribution
3 Genomes
What Are Genomes?
The Strange Case of the Epigenome
New Similarities and New Differences
Reducing Complexity
4 Genomics and Evolution
Classification
Evolution
Metagenomics
.
5 Genomics and Problems of Explanation
Astrological Genetics and Explanatory Genetics
Heritability
Astrological Genomics
Beyond Astrology
6 Genomics as Power
Accumulating Powers
Genomics and Social Powers
Resisting Genomic Powers
Arguments and Institutions
7 Natural Order and Human Dignity
The Order of Things
Dignity
Human Genomes and the Order of Things
Human Genomes and the Dignity of Human Life
Arguments and Institutions Again
8 Conclusions
Genomics as Power Again
Accounting for Exceptionalism
Life without Essences: Reduction as Emancipation
Bibliography
Index
Review Quotes
Robert Cook-Deegan, Duke University
"Barnes and Dupré, drawing on both science and the philosophy of biology, push beyond the hype that accompanied the dawn of genomics. There has been too much attention devoted to what genomics will and will not do, and soon. But beneath the surface and beyond the hype, our concepts of how biological things work really have changed fundamentally, and it matters. This book helps explain how and why it matters. What do insights about genomics tell us about human variations that map to ancestry, and how those, in turn, map to social constructions of ‘race’ and ethnicity? Is there anything more threatening to human social coherence than human variations, or anything more important to understand? And what will genomic technologies tell us about behavior? The answer is clearly more than nothing and less than we tend to think. The idea of simple genes encoding proteins that do biological work is being replaced by more complex systems theories of interaction and cybernetics. Welcome to the future of genomics. It will be a long and glorious ride. This book is a good place to start that exploration."
Peter Robbins, Open University
“What is novel about Genomes and What to Make of Them is the impressive scope of the project, which covers key issues around the politics of genomics in an accessible way, taking care to outline in clear language some very complex scientific arguments in a way that allows the authors to deconstruct various arguments about the risks and opportunities of genomics. I know of no other book that captures the social implications of genomics in quite such a comprehensive and accessible yet insightful manner."
Davide Vecchi | Metapsychology
"An engaging, dense and informative account of the many conceptual, theoretical and ethical issues surrounding the powerful science of genomics. . . . Philosophers and historians of science, sociologists of knowledge and bioethicists will all benefit from reading it. I will add to the list biologists too. . . . This is an impressive book. The writing style is engaging, while the approach is quite refreshing, as the authors are not afraid to take many biological, political and ethical stands."
For more information, or to order this book, please visit https://press.uchicago.edu
Google preview here
You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.