Are We Slaves to Our Genes?

There is a common misconception that our genomes - all unique, except for those in identical twins - have the upper hand in controlling our destiny. The latest genetic discoveries, however, do not support that view. Although genetic variation does influence differences in various human behaviours to a greater or lesser degree, most of the time this does not undermine our genuine free will. Genetic determinism comes into play only in various medical conditions, notably some psychiatric syndromes. Denis Alexander here demonstrates that we are not slaves to our genes. He shows how a predisposition to behave in certain ways is influenced at a molecular level by particular genes. Yet a far greater influence on our behaviours is our world-views that lie beyond science - and that have an impact on how we think the latest genetic discoveries should, or should not, be applied. Written in an engaging style, Alexander's book offers tools for understanding and assessing the latest genetic discoveries critically.

Author: Denis R. Alexander
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 10/01/2020
Pages: 275
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.19lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9781108426336

Review Citation(s):
Choice 08/01/2021

About the Author
Alexander, Denis R.: - Denis Alexander is the Founding Director (Emeritus) of The Faraday Institute and Emeritus Fellow of St. Edmund's College, Cambridge. The former chair of the Molecular Immunology Programme at The Babraham Institute in Cambridge, he helped to establish the National Unit of Human Genetics at the American University Hospital in Beirut. Lebanon. He is the author of Genes, Determinism, and God (2017).