
“Bracingly intelligent, lucid, balanced—witty, too.... A scrupulous and charming look at our modern understanding of genes and experience.” — Oliver SacksArmed with extraordinary new discoveries about our genes, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley turns his attention to the nature-versus-nurture debate in a thoughtful book about the roots of human behavior.Ridley recounts the hundred years' war between the partisans of nature and nurture to explain how this paradoxical creature, the human being, can be simultaneously free-willed and motivated by instinct and culture. With the decoding of the human genome, we now know that genes not only predetermine the broad structure of the brain, they also absorb formative experiences, react to social cues, and even run memory. They are consequences as well as causes of the will.
How do genes and environment interact to shape human behavior and free will? Matt Ridley, an acclaimed science writer, synthesizes the findings of the Human Genome Project to challenge the traditional dichotomy between nature and nurture. He argues that genes are not static blueprints but dynamic entities that respond to environmental stimuli, social cues, and individual experiences, effectively acting as both the cause and the consequence of human behavior.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts and readers frequently cite this work as a highly accessible bridge between complex genetic research and general public understanding. The prose is noted for its clarity and balance, making it a standard recommendation for those seeking to understand the modern synthesis of biology and psychology.
Page Count:
352
Publication Date:
2004-07-06
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
ISBN-10:
006000679X
ISBN-13:
9780060006792
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