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Genetic determinism is the belief that genes largely determine physical and behavioral phenotypes. The term may be applied to the mapping of a single gene to a single phenotype or to the belief that most or all phenotypes are determined mostly or exclusively by genes. While the former is well established, the latter is very controversial. For other meanings of this term, see gene (disambiguation). ...
Individuals in the mollusk species Donax variabilis show diverse coloration and patterning in their phenotypes. ...
General information
Evidence for the genetic influence on phenotypes comes from hereditary diseases, for instance, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, which are caused by mutations in single genes, and Down syndrome and Klinefelter's syndrome by the abnormal duplication of a chromosome. Genetic determinism of behavioral traits is related to the field of neuropsychology. A genetic disorder, or genetic disease is a disease caused, at least in part, by the genes of the person with the disease. ...
Sickle-shaped red blood cells Sickle cell anemia (American English), sickle cell anaemia (British English) or sickle cell disease is a genetic disease in which red blood cells may change shape under certain circumstances. ...
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Figure 1: A representation of a condensed eukaryotic chromosome, as seen during cell division. ...
Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology and neurology that aims to understand how the structure and function of the brain relate to specific psychological processes. ...
Definitions of genetic determinism vary. It is usually thought of as the belief that all physical and behavioural phenotypes are determined mostly or exclusively by the genes. This is sometimes attributed to biologists by the media or some in the social sciences, or attributed to proponents of evolutionary psychology, though in this sense some biologists (e.g. Dawkins 2003) would consider it a straw man. Another, less strong definition is the belief that behavioral traits in animals and humans are to some extent influenced by genetics. Evolutionary psychology (abbreviated ev-psych or EP) is a theoretical approach to psychology that attempts to explain certain mental and psychological traits—such as memory, perception, or language—as evolved adaptations, i. ...
A straw man, or straw person, argument is a logical fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponents position. ...
Some proponents of belief in free will charge that genetic determinism removes culpability. With diseases such as Down Syndrome and Huntingtons there is a clear "one chromosone aberration one disease" or "one gene one disease" diagnosis. Behavioral traits are more complex. Increasingly people are blaming their genes for aggressive behavior. Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ...
Political implications of genetic determinism As a result of believing genetic determinism, many genetic determinists support social policies that are very controversial. Such policies deal mainly with the death and reproduction of criminals, psychopaths, and generally aggressive people.
In Fiction - Children of the revolution A Comedy about Stalin's son's inescapable path into rebelion and eventually a revolution of any sort.
- In the television series Andromeda, the nietzschean species was geneticly programmed to be ambitious, treacherous, and brutal.
Children of the Revolution is a 1996 Historic comedy film, depicting Stalin and his sons somewhat deterministic path into The Revolution, in modern Australia. ...
Gene Roddenberrys Andromeda is a science fiction television series, created by Gene Roddenberry, but produced posthumously. ...
See also Nature vs Nurture is a shorthand expression for debates about the relative importance of an individuals innate qualities (nature) versus personal experiences (nurture) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. ...
Tabula rasa (Latin: scraped tablet or clean slate) refers to the epistemological thesis that individual human beings are born with no innate or built-in mental content, in a word, blank, and that their entire resource of knowledge is built up gradually from their experiences and sensory perceptions of the...
References Dr. Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. ...
A Devils Chaplain (Phoenix, 2003, ISBN 0753817500) is a book collecting selected essays and other writings by the British zoologist Richard Dawkins. ...
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