Topic:	Genetic Determinism
Audio:
Download
Listen Online	This text will be replaced
Guest:	John Dupré, Professor of Sociology and Director of EGenIS (ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society), University of Exeter
What is it?	Are there genes for practically everything? For being gay? For being mean? For being a philosopher? Does modern science show that we are largely the product of our genes --- or not? Join Ken and John and famed philosopher of biology John Dupre to see how trapped you are by your genes.

About the Guest

John Dupré received his Ph.D at Cambridge in 1981 after spending two years studying in the U.S. as a Harkness Fellow. He was then a Junior Research Fellow at St. John's College, Oxford, for two years before taking up a post in the Department of Philosophy at Stanford University, where hetaught until 1996. He then returned to the U.K. to take up posts as Professor of Philosophy in Birkbeck College, University of London, and as a Senior Research Fellow at Exeter.

At Exeter he has headed the reintroduction of philosophy, which has been dormant at Exeter since the department was closed in the mid-eighties. Several undergraduate philosophy degrees were launched in 2000, at which time he resigned his chair in London and was appointed at Exeter as Professor of Philosophy of Science. In 2002 he assumed the full-time directorship of EGenIS.

His research career has been in the philosophy of science, but especially the philosophy of biology. Particular interests include: biological classification, the relation of technical to everyday biological kinds and to traditional problems of essentialism; adaptationism and optimality; reductionism; indeterministic accounts of causality; evolution and the limitations of evolutionary psychology; and the biological basis of sex and gender. He also worked for several years on issues in the philosophy of economics.

His current work is increasingly focused on philosophical issues concerning the interpretation and implications of genetics and genomics. Over the next couple of years he is planning to collaborate with his colleague Professor Barry Barnes on a sociological and philosophical introduction to contemporary genomics.

John Dupré has published the following books:

• Darwin's Legacy, 2003.

• Humans and Other Animals, 2002.

• Human Nature and the Limits of Science, 2001.

• The Disorder of Things: Metaphysical Foundations of the Disunity of Science , 1993.

Listening Notes

What role do genes play in how organisms develop? John begins by distinguishing the genotype from the phenotype. Genetic determinism says that the genotype completely determines the phenotype, that is, the genes completely determine how an organism turns out. We often read about "a gene for intelligence" and "genes for homosexuality", but what does that mean? Doesn't that support the idea of genetic determinism?

John introduces the guest, John Dupre. Dupre distinguishes between various senses of the word "gene". But, John asks, haven't we found a gene for Down syndrome? Dupre explains what that phrase means. Ken says that he learned about the genetic code in school that spells out how each organism will develop. Dupre replies that that use of the phrase "genetic code" is incorrect. The genetic code is very basic and the phenotypic traits depend on more than just the genes. For example, Dupre says, a family may have a common nose shape, but that is determined by biology, not just the genes. Dupre gives some reasons for looking at the genome, as a whole, rather than individual genes. Ken summarizes: using the phrase "gene for X" does not mean that someone that has that gene will necessarily have X.

Ken asks aren't genes distinctive, extra-powerful causes? The genome is important but overemphasized. Dupre criticizes the idea that all the information that is passed from parents to offspring is in the DNA. Dupre gives some reasons for looking at the genome as a whole rather than individual genes. Then, John, Ken, and Dupre discuss what it means when people talk about the number of genes in the human genome and what "junk DNA" is.

Dupre thinks that genetic determinism is false. Does this mean that anyone can become anything? What does his view entail? There are limits, but they are not imposed solely by genes. Dupre thinks we should shift from focusing on the genome to concentrating on development.

•  Ian Shoales the Sixty Second Philosopher (Seek to 51:30): Ian Shoales provides many quotes from various philosophers, authors, and poets in favor of donating to public radio to help out the donation drive.

• Amy Standen the Roving Philosophical Reporter does not have a piece in this episode.

Additional Resources

• The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on the genotype-phenotype distinction

• There are some excellent chapters on genetic determinism in Kim Sterelny's and Paul Griffiths's book, Sex and Death: An Introduction to Philosophy of Biology.

• Stephen Jay Gould's article critical of genetic determinism called "Humbled by the Genome's Mysteries".

• Richard Dawkins's book, The Extended Phenotype, was the subject of an email question addressed by John Dupre

• John Dupre's book mentioned at the start of the show: Human Nature and the Limits of Science.

• Daniel Dennett has a good essay called "The Mythical Threat of Genetic Determinism" in his collection, Freedom Evolves.

• Article discussing whether there is a gene for homosexuality.

• Examples of news articles saying scientists have found "a gene for X"

• Department of Energy Human Genome Project site

• Another Department of Energy Human Genome Project site