Can Science Resolve the Nature / Nurture Debate

by Margaret M. Lock

Following centuries of debate about "nature and nurture" the discovery of DNA established the idea that nature (genes) determines who we are, relegating nurture (environment) to icing on the cake.Since the 1950s, the new science of epigenetics has demonstrated how cellular environments and certain experiences and behaviors influence gene expression at the molecular level, with significant implications for health and wellbeing. To the amazement of scientists, mapping the human genome indirectly supported these insights. Anthropologists Margaret Lock and Gisli Palsson outline vituperative arguments from Classical times about the relationship between nature and nurture, furthered today by epigenetic findings and the demonstration of a "reactive genome." The nature/nurture debate, they show, can never be put to rest, because these concepts are in constant flux in response to the new insights science continually offers.

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2016

About the author

Margaret Lock FRSC is a distinguished Canadian medical anthropologist, known for her publications in connection with an anthropology of the body and embodiment, comparative epistemologies of medical knowledge and practice, and the global impact of emerging biomedical technologies.

Reviews

[thebookiereviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredibly book! Anthropologists Margaret Lock and Gisli Palsson propose with this book a look on the so called nature versus nurture debate. Written in a very understanding language alongside with magnificent explanations of the arguments this "Can Science Resolve the Nature/Nurture Debate" it's an amazing title on the subject.


disclaimer: Got a copy from netgalley for my honest opinion. This in no way affects my view on this title.

[Jonathan Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Digestible exploration of the increasingly important science of epigenetics and the importance of rebalancing the nature/nurture argument. Doesn't go into enough detail on the social and anthropological studies.