Genetics, Determinism, and Human Nature
Philosophy 5350/6350/7350: Topics / Seminar in Philosophy of Science
Instructors: Anya Plutynski plutynski@philosophy.utah.edu Office Hours: Monday 10 AM-Noon, OSH 338J, or by appt.
Ron Mallon rmallon@philosophy.utah.edu Office Hours: Thursday 2-4 (cancelled during dept. mtgs), OSH 341K, or by appt.
An explicit or implicit commitment to genetic determinism governs mainstream media, major portions of agricultural and medical research, and influences our perception of ourselves as agents. The news is peppered with reports of the discovery of "hereditary" or "genetic" bases for obesity, homosexuality, and addiction. Biotech stocks are soaring; investors have expressed great faith in companies like Celera, Genentech, and our very own Utah-based Myriad Genetics. These companies own patents for the means of identifying human "disease" genes — genes associated with breast cancer, Alzheimers and heart disease. Presumably, investment in these companies will pay, since finding the "cause" of these diseases is one step toward finding the "cure".
What are we to make of such claims? What does it mean to say that we have found a "gene for" some trait? Are there univocal, unambiguous definitions of such concepts as "gene," "genetic", or "hereditary"? How do biologists measure "heritability"? What is it to give a "genetic" explanation for some trait? How and why are genes "causes"? More broadly, are human beings simply the sum of our biological inheritance? These are some of the questions we will explore in this class. These issues are tied to more general metaphysical and epistemological questions standardly considered the province of philosophy of science. How do theories in different domains explain? What does it mean to be committed to determinism? How do we make sense of causal language in the sciences? In this class, we will read a combination of essays by scientists, philosophers, and historians of science on these questions.
Course Requirements:
Over the course of the semester, we will read and discuss two
or three articles per week. We expect you to come to class having done the
reading and prepared to participate in discussion. In addition, we will assign
recommended reading, and offer extra credit for reading one of the recommended
books or articles and writing up a brief critical summary. You will write
responses to the reading weekly (a brief, critical summary of main argument and
thesis, and/or answers to questions about the reading), due the day before
class meets by noon, give one presentation over the course of the semester,
write two (for Grads.) or three (for Undergrads.) short papers, and one final
paper (approx. 10 pp. for Undergrads., 20 for Grads.). Due dates and more
detailed information on each assignment can be viewed on the course webpage on
WebCT.
Breakdown of Grade (Undergraduate):
Presentations, attendance and participation: 15%
Weekly responses to reading (8 pp. total): 20%
Short papers (3): 30%
Final papers (1): 35% ABSTRACT APR 15
Extra credit assignments: up to 5%
Breakdown of Grade (Graduate):
Presentations, attendance and participation: 15%
Weekly responses to reading (12 pp. total): 20%
Short papers: 20%
Final papers 45% ABSTRACT APR 15
Extra credit assignments: up to 5%
PAPER GRADING RUBRIC
See here for paper guidelines!
Important
Dates:
Wednesday, January
21 - last date to drop (delete) courses
Monday, January
26 - last
date to add courses (without a late fee)
Thursday, January
29 - tuition
is due (if not paid students courses will be dropped)
Plagiarism is the copying of any work without proper citation. Plagiarism is a serious offense that
will be punished. This includes
(1) the use of books or articles, (2) the use of resource materials from the
internet, (3) the use of the work of another student, and (4) the use of class
notes from this or other classes.
All work for the class should be original, and produced for the course.
Papers written for another course are not acceptable.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that reasonable
accommodations be provided for students with physical, sensory, cognitive,
systemic, learning and psychiatric disabilities. Please contact the Center for
Disability Services (162 Union Building) if you will need any such
accommodations. http://disability.utah.edu/
Tentative Schedule & Readings
(All readings are either On Reserve at the Marriott library (OR), at the
University bookstore (UB), or available in paper or online at the library.)
Weeks
1-2: A Very Brief History of Genetics in the 20th Century
Questions on Evelyn Fox Keller
Required Reading:
Keller, 2000. The Century of the Gene (OR and UB)
Recommended Reading (available OR):
Paul,
Controlling Human Heredity: 1895 to the Present
Kevles,
In the Name of Eugenics
Condit, 1999. The Meaning of the Gene: Public debates
about human heredity.
Strohman, 1993. “Ancient Genomes, Wise Bodies,
Unhealthy People:
Limits of a genetic paradigm in biology and medicine.”
Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. 37: 112-145
Week
3: The Gene Concept Required Reading (Handouts or OR):
Moss,
“Gene P vs. Gene D” APA Dec. 2003
Griffiths
and Neuman Held, 1999. The many faces of the gene. Bioscience 49(8), 656-662.
Recommended
Reading:
Beurton,
Falk, and Reinberger, 2000. The Concept of the Gene in Development and
Evolution, selections (Reinberger,
Falk, Gayon).
Griffiths, 2002. “Lost: One Gene Concept,
Return to Finder,” Biology and
Philosophy 17(2), 271-283.
Hall,
2001, “The gene is not dead, merely orphaned and seeking a home.” Evolution
and Development 3(4) 225-228.
Weeks 4-5: Nativism in Biology and Mind:
Required
Reading (* papers are eligible for presentation):
*Stich,
S. 1975. “Introduction: The Idea of Innateness.” Innate Ideas. Ed. Stephen Stich. (OR) (web
link)
*Ariew,
A. 1996. “Innateness and Canalization.” Philosophy of Science. 63, Proceedings, pp. 519-529. (web
link)
Sober,
E. 1998. “Innate Knowledge.” Routlege Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (web link)
Block,
Ned. 1981. “Introduction: What is Innateness.” Readings in Philosophy of
Psychology, Vol. 2. pp. 279-281.
(OR) (web
link)
*Samuels,
Richard. 2002. “Nativism in Cognitive Science,” Mind and Language, vol.
17, No. 3, pp. 233-265. (web
link)
Recommended:
Fodor,
Jerry. 1981. “The Current Status of the Innateness Controversy.”
PAPER TOPICS 1: DUE FEBRUARY 17
Week
6: Are Genes Causes?
Required
Reading:
Sober,
1988. “Apportioning Causal Responsibility” Journal of Philosophy, 85, 303-318. (web
link)
Nijhout,
1990. “The nature of robustness in development” Bioessays,
24(6) 553-563 (web
link)
Gannett,
1999. “What’s the cause? The pragmatic dimensions of genetic explanation,” Biology
and Philosophy 14(3) 349-374. (web link)
Recommended
Reading:
Hall,
“The Gene is Not Dead, Merely Orphaned and Seeking a Home” (web
link)
Roberts,
J. S. 2001. “Interpreting the Homeobox: Metaphors of gene activation in
development and evolution.” Evolution and Development 3, 287-295. (web
link)
Week
7: Heritability
Required
Reading (OR or UB):
Sarkar,
Genetics & Reductionism, chap.
3, 4?
Lewontin,
1974. “The Analysis of Variance and the Analysis of Causes” American Journal
of Human Genetics, 26, 400-411.
Block,
“How heritability misleads about race,” Cognition, 56 (1995) 99-128. (web
link)
Sedarsic, “Heritability and Causality” Philosophy
of Science 60 (1993) 396-418. (web
link)
Recommended
Reading:
Kaplan,
2000. Limits and Lies of Human Genetic Research. Chap. 1-3
Week
8-9: Species Concepts and Natural Kinds
Required
Reading:
Griffiths
and Sterelny, 1999, Chp. 9, “Species,” Sex and Death. (web
link)
Dupre,
John. 2002. “On the Impossibity of a Monistic Account of Species,” (web
link)
Humans
and Other Animals.
Boyd,
Richard. 1999. “Homeostasis, Species, and Higher Taxa.” Species: New
Interdisciplinary Essays. Ed. Robert
A. Wilson. (web
link)
Millikan,
Ruth, “Historical Kinds and the Special Sciences” Philosophical Studies. (web link)
Recommended:
Boyd,
Richard. “” (web
link)
Millikan,
Ruth. “Reply to Boyd on
‘Historical Kinds and the Special Sciences’” (web link)
Weeks
10-11: Race and Biology
Appiah,
K. A. 1995. The Uncompleted Argument: Du Bois and the Illusion of Race. In
Overcoming Racism and Sexism. Ed. L. A. Bell and D. Blumenfeld. pp. 59-78. (web
link)
Outlaw,
L. “Toward a Critical Theory of ‘Race’.” Anatomy of Racism. Ed. David
Theo Goldberg. (web
link)
Andreasen,
R. O. 1998. A New Perspective on the Race Debate. British Journal of the
Philosophy of Science 49:199-225 (web
link)
Kitcher,
Philip. 1999. Race, Ethnicity, Biology, Culture. In Racism. Ed. Leonard Harris (1999). 87-120. (web
link)
Recommended:
Root,
Michael. 2000. How We Divide the World. Philosophy of Science 67 (Proceedings). 628-639. (web
link)
Zack,
Naomi. 2002. Race and the Philosophy of Science.
PAPER 3 Abstract: DUE APRIL 15
Week
12: Genetics & Disease Concepts
Ed
Stein, “Essentialism and Constructionism
About Sexual Orientation” (web
link)
E.
Lloyd, “Normality
and Variation” (web
link)
Week
13: SARKAR
Friday, April 16, 2004, 4 PM
Departmental Tanner Library (OSH 334)
with Food and Drink to Follow
Professor Sahotra Sarkar
The University of Texas at Austin
Departments of Integrative Biology and Philosophy
Evolution, Genetics, and Culture
Week
14: Evolution and Mind: Sterelny
On
PAPER RESERVE Part 2 from Thought in A Hostile
World by Kim Sterelny
Final Week: Evolutionary Psychology and Sex
Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer, “Why Men Rape” The Sciences 40:30-36 <JAN 2000>
ACCESS THROUGH EPNET <web link>
Margo Wilson and Martin Daly, “The
Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Chattel” (web
link)