Gene talk in sociobiology
Social Epistemology 6 (2):109 – 163 (1992)
| Abstract | Abstract Terminology within the biological sciences gets its import not just from semantic meaning, but also from the way it functions within the rhetorics of the various disciplinary practices. The ?sociobiology? of human behavior inherits three distinct rhetorics from the genetic disciplines. Sociobiologists use population genetic, biometrical genetic, and molecular genetic rhetorics, without acknowledging the conceptual and experimental constraints that are assumed by geneticists. The eclectic blending of these three rhetorics obscures important differences of context and meaning. Sociobiologists use foundational terms in genetics, such as ?gene?, ?fitness?, ?evolution?, ?heritability?, ?trait? and ?polygenic inheritance?, in starkly different ways from geneticists, while basing their analysis of human behavior on the implied authority of genetics. As a free?floating ?gene talk? moves across different disciplinary contexts, and before different audiences, it takes the form of an over?simplified and misleading arch?determinism. The result is widespread application of vague, incomplete, and distorted biological theory. If most sociobiologists, do not deliberately promote biological determinism, still less a political agenda, there is ample evidence that they misconstrue the implications of the genetic language that they borrow | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,664 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesVanessa Lux (2008). The Concept of the Gene in Psychiatric Genetics and its Consequences for the Concept of Mental Illness. Poiesis and Praxis 6 (1-2):65-77.
John Alcock (1999). The Myth of Genetic Determinism – Again. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22 (5):885-886.
Jason M. Byron (2005). Sociobiology. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Jonathan Michael Kaplan & Massimo Pigliucci (2001). Genes `For' Phenotypes: A Modern History View. Biology and Philosophy 16 (2):189--213.
Daniel W. McShea (1992). Gene-Talk Talk About Sociobiology. Social Epistemology 6 (2):183 – 192.
J. Richard Udry (1999). How to Alienate Your Natural Allies and Attract Your Enemies. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22 (5):911-911.
James Miles (1998). Unnatural Selection. Philosophy 73 (4):593-608.
Steven J. C. Gaulin (1986). A Logical Structure for Human Sociobiology. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1986:75 - 86.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-02-01Total downloads2 ( #232,316 of 549,017 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,261 of 549,017 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
