[.ca] Are We Hardwired?: The Role of Genes in Human Behavior (ISBN 0195178009)

From Amazon.co.uk:
The notion that our chromosomes might dictate some of our behaviour makes DNA a four-letter word to strict nurturists. Yet there is strong evidence that genes do exert an influence over some part of nearly of our personalities. Immunologist William R. Clark and biochemist Michael Grunstein tackle this sticky issue in Are We Hardwired?: The Role of Genes in Human Behavior, an even-handed explanation and critique of current thinking on the topic. Exploring twin and family studies, biochemical research into the nervous systems of humans and less complex animals, and specific qualities like aggression, eating and sexual preference, the authors show that as with most other phenotypic expression, genes interact with each other and environmental factors to produce tendencies toward behaviour. Their thinking is more complex than the journalistic attachment to "aggression genes" and other such simplifications; they would rather see and understand the intricate array of genes and the proteins they help to create than blame Johnny's brutality on a particular lonely stretch of his Y chromosome. This is exemplified by their refusal to use the word "intelligence" except when required for historical accuracy; this single concept has caused much more trouble than understanding since its inception. The prose is quiet and easygoing, the scientific explanations are clear but pull no punches, and the authors take great pains to expose the tremendous dangers of eugenics, making Are We Hardwired? one of the clearest, most useful books yet published on the nurture/nature debate. --Rob Lightner

very worthwhile - until a better book comes along.:
I loved Clark’s “Sex and the Origin of Death” and “At War Within”. By comparison, I was disappointed in Hardwired. It is a serious , very informative book, and I believe you can trust Clark. The earlier chapters, about one celled animals, a worm, and a fly, were brilliant, and a lot about the basis of human behavior may be learned from them. The material in the first chapter about studies of twins separated at birth is provocative. The problem is that once Clark, or was it Grunstein, got to vertebrates, the material was just not well integrated. Too often the book read as a series of summaries of successive findings, some of which were inconsistent. Yes, Clark had some overarching themes, repeated a number of times, but that doesn’t replace a good synthesis. There is much that is partially understood at best, and a lot of research which casts light only on a small piece of the puzzle, making a good synthesis more difficult for conscientious authors, but that just makes their job harder, not impossible. Bottom line: if you are interested in the subject AND in science, including technical details, read this book, until a better one comes along.

The Role of genes in our behavior:
The authors are not your average community med tech or physician but University research professionals. Dr Clark with UC at Los Angeles' Dept of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology and Dr Grunstein at UCLA's School of Medicine and Molecular Institute. The book is just over 300 pages and cover a variety of issues from the evolutionary origins of behavior, genes and behavior, the evolution of learning and memory, the role of neurotransmitters in human behavior, the genetics of aggression, eating disorders, substance abuse, mental health, sexual preference and the environment and free will. Chapter 13 which deals with The Genetics Of Sexual Preference is interesting since they wisely note what many of us bisexual women have always known, which is that "Women show a much broader spectrum of preferences, with a much higher percentage of nonheterosexual women showing varying degrees of bisexuality." And I was enthralled with the information about Charles Darwin's cousin Francis Galton who coined the phrase "nature Vs nurture." Galton is someone I greatly admire. The notation of the value of eugenics is valuable. Page 293 "What if we define the alleles of other genes that play a major role in aggressiveness, or criminality, or homosexuality? Almost certainly there will be at least a few individuals who will want to use this new information to manage their own reproductive affairs. Past history tells us that if such people gain political power, they may also try to impose their views on societies as a whole. How do we stop that from happening? ...." Was bothered they included homosexuality mixed with issues like aggressiveness and criminal issues since sexual pleasure isn't a crime between consenting adults. Anymore that enjoying fine food, wine and music is.

Interesting volume:
Are We Hardwired? is an interesting discussion of the recent progress made in the genetics of behavior. The authors begin their book by describing some of the data found in the now famous Minnesota twin studies and proceed to discuss some of the information derived from study of much simpler organisms. They link information on the paramecium, the round worm C. elegans, the much studied fruit fly Drosophila, and the humble mouse to similar biological events in humans and show how the research has helped us better understand our own kind, its strengths and weaknesses. The first chapter is dedicated to the amazing degree to which genetically identical individuals share similar behavioral characteristics. Even when reared in different environments and completely unaware of their genetically identical siblings, twins are seen to share much more in common with one another and their biological family than they do with their adoptive family. This is seen especially clearly in the studies on obesity, substance abuse and sexual preference. Chapters 2 through 8 reveal what simpler organisms have to say about behavior. By studying these animals, which possess very simple genetics and biological systems, scientists have been able to more closely pinpoint genetic sites active in mammalian organisms which perform similar functions. What is most surprising is the degree to which nature has conserved "what works" over time. The simple response of a single celled animal to its environment and it's ability to learn or to habituate to a stimulus over time suggests some of the chemical underpinnings of behavior in much more complex animals. The simple neural pathways of the round worm, for instance, allow identification of specific responses to stimulation or inhibition of these pathways. Even the time keeping propensities of yeast and fruitflies is studied and has implications for the circadian clocks of humans and other mammals. Given the dark history of the first half of the last century with respect to human biology, the information provided in the last chapters--having to do with eating disorders, substance abuse, mental functioning, and sexual preference--will be the most controversial for readers. These chapters discuss recent genetic data that indicate a strong heritability for many of these behaviors and point out the caveats for research in these sensitive areas. The authors are especially quick to point out that IQ is a murky measurement at best and has often been used as a means of justifying social inequality but they also note that intelligence, like other human behaviors, is genetically perpetuated and therefore a valid subject of study. They also point out that the genome project, while it might easily be used to discriminate unjustly, provides an avenue of remarkable opportunity to remedy the ills of mankind. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the authors on the ethical issues and the dangers of research in the area of human genetics, the book is a wonderful, readable volume on what modern research has to say about behavior. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the science of genetics or in behavior. It might be a little more difficult for the junior high student, but those in senior high or older should be able to understand it.

Give some real facts or get off the pot:
There is not a single gene or group of genes or approximate loci of a chromosome that has been consistently demonstrated to influence human behavior. This is a simple fact. When you have discovered one and it stands up to any kind of scrutiny, let us know and come out with a real book. Study all the paramecium and little worms you want, but don't try to relate that to human nature. Human nature is not even remotely understood, yet we are trying to attach simplistic eugenic explanations to it. Let me offer the hypothesis that 0% of our behavior is related to any gene or group of genes. All you have to do is prove me wrong once. Good luck.

An Excellent Intro to the Role of Genetics in Human Behavior:
This book takes on the really big questions about human existence: Is our behavior controlled by our genes, our environment or both? Is our behavior genetically dictated? If so, what can (or should) we do about it? This book actually makes some headway in resolving these questions and others like them and has the added attraction of giving you a survey of the science in this area. This book sat on my coffee table unread for six months because I harbored two opposing fears about reading it: On the one hand, I thought that the technical scientific details would be daunting, and on the other, I feared that this was an area that was not capable of intellectual resolution, that nothing of importance to understanding the human condition could be learned in this area. I was wrong on both counts. This book is a great introduction to what science has learned about the role of genes in human behavior and it is presented in a manner comprehensible to the lay reader. The first half of the book is devoted to the study of the behavior of comparatively simple creatures, round worms, Drosophila, sea slugs, etc. By analyzing simplified nervous systems, the authors are able to explore some simple relationships between genes and behavior. Then, in the second half, these same relationships are explored in more advanced creatures and in humans. The authors make clear the limits of the extension of these principles to more complex settings, but they were able to convince me of the appropriateness of the application of these studies to more complex species. The conclusions that the authors draw are not simplistic. The complex interplay of neurotransmitters is effectively developed and the possibility of multiple behavioral and neural antecedents to behavior is acknowledged. Still the same the reader will be awed, both by the genetic and neural science and by the implications for the human condition. In short, this is exactly the kind of book that will rock you back in your chair, stunned by the complexity and wonder that is the human neurological system.