Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Genetics (non-medical)
|
Not currently available
Heredity: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
Loot Price: R196
Discovery Miles 1 960
You Save: R44
(18%)
|
|
Heredity: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
Series: Very Short Introductions
(sign in to rate)
List price R240
Loot Price R196
Discovery Miles 1 960
You Save R44 (18%)
Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available.
|
The concept of heredity is fundamental to how we see ourselves and
others. It goes far beyond the obvious continuity of physical
traits across generations. We routinely ascribe similarities in
personality, intellect, outlook, and aptitude between family
members to what's passed down in sperm and eggs. The simple idea
that children take after their ancestors has long been central to
science and medicine and to the breeding of plants and animals. It
has also been used for ideological purposes to impute innate
differences in character and rationality between males and females
and among different ethnicities and social classes. Slavery,
colonialism, and genocide, the unequal treatment of women, and the
concentration of power and wealth in the hands of the few have been
consistently rationalized in the language of heredity and 'natural'
hierarchy. In this Very Short Introduction John Waller traces the
diverse ideas about biological inheritance expressed by Europeans
and their colonial descendants during two millennia of human
history. He charts the changing ways in which scholars and
laypersons have believed heredity to work, the development of
spurious and self-serving beliefs about heredity by dominant
groups, the recent revolution in our ability to understand the
mechanics of heredity, and the difficult dilemmas our species is
likely to face as we gain increasing mastery over the contents of
our own genomes. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions
series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in
almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect
way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors
combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to
make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.