Our Genes
A Philosophical Perspective on Human Evolutionary Genomics

Human evolutionary genomics illuminates fascinating philosophical questions about our individual identities and collective connections.

Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther (Author)

9781316621509, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 December 2022

394 pages
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.9 cm, 0.7 kg

'Our Genes isn't the last word, it's the first words you should read on the population genetics, molecular genetics, and gene/environment interaction that shaped Homo sapiens over the last several hundred thousand years. Rasmus Winther has produced a tour de force of scientific synthesis, and philosophical analysis, and wisdom about the uses of both.' Alex Rosenberg, Duke University, USA

Situated at the intersection of natural science and philosophy, Our Genes explores historical practices, investigates current trends, and imagines future work in genetic research to answer persistent, political questions about human diversity. Readers are guided through fascinating thought experiments, complex measures and metrics, fundamental evolutionary patterns, and in-depth treatment of exciting case studies. The work culminates in a philosophical rationale, based on scientific evidence, for a moderate position about the explanatory power of genes that is often left unarticulated. Simply put, human evolutionary genomics - our genes - can tell us much about who we are as individuals and as collectives. However, while they convey scientific certainty in the popular imagination, genes cannot answer some of our most important questions. Alternating between an up-close and a zoomed-out focus on genes and genomes, individuals and collectives, species and populations, Our Genes argues that the answers we seek point to rich, necessary work ahead.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Origins and Histories
3. The Mind, the Lab, and the Field: Three Kinds of Populations
4. Metrics and Measures
5. Models and Methodologies
6. Six Patterns of Human Genomic Variation
7. Natural Selection
8. Intelligence, Female Orgasm, and Future Discovery
9. Is Race Real?
10. The Conscious Universe: Genes in Complex Systems
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Human biology [PSX], Genetics [non-medical PSAK], Bio-ethics [PSAD], Philosophy of science [PDA], Physical anthropology [JHMP]