News Release:
Book offers freedom from 'cult of the genes'
| Date 5/12/03 No 227/03 Published recently in New York and London, Gene Worship, by Gisela Kaplan and Lesley Rogers, addresses what the authors see as "a new false religion, that of worshipping the genes as the basis for psychology and sociology". Professor Kaplan and Professor Rogers are biologists with expertise in neuroscience, ethology, psychology, sociology and pharmacology. They are thus uniquely qualified to evaluate claims that human behaviour is "all in the genes". Such claims, they say, can lead to "the seductive belief that, once we understand our genetic constitution, it is but a short step to complete mastery of human nature". Their book offers realistic alternatives to such simplistic explanations. "Our research has shown that brain development and behaviour do not depend simply on either 'nature' or 'nurture', Professor Kaplan said. "Rather, there is constant interaction between genetic make-up and the environment. This interaction results in the infinitely variable expression of genetic potential. It's their expression that's important, not the genes themselves." She explained that the huge physical and mental differences between humans and chimpanzees, despite their 99.2 per cent genetic identity, resulted from differences in gene expression.
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Today's launch of Gene Worship, by UNE's Professor Adrian Kiernander (Head of Theatre Studies) and Dr Margaret Gibson (Lecturer in Social Science), was included in the program of the annual Australian Sociological Association conference being held this year at UNE. Both Dr Gibson and Professor Kiernander emphasised the timeliness of the book (subtitled "Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate over Genes, Brain, and Gender"), which addresses issues that have profound implications for contemporary society. These issues include gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. For example, it exposes the unscientific basis of the "gay gene" debate. Belief in such things as a "gay gene" can lead to the worst excesses of "social engineering", Professor Kaplan said. The book does not attack genetic research as such, but questions many of the assumptions about individual and social behaviour that influence the design and reporting of experiments. The reported results, particularly those taken up by the popular media, then reinforce the original assumptions, the authors argue. Professor Rogers pointed out that genetic research was often driven simply by the capability of the latest technology, rather than by deep ideas. "Young people get trained in techniques rather than ideas," she said. Media contact: Professor Gisela Kaplan on (02) 6775 3113 (or, on
Sunday, 02 6649 0912), Professor Lesley Rogers on (02) 6773 3969
or 0412 405 273, or Jim Scanlan, UNE Public Relations, on (02) 6773
3049. |
