What does it mean to find a gene or set of genes that are associated with ADHD, schizophrenia, or autism? Could we eradicate such diseases from our species through gene therapy? Is it possible to eradicate from our genome the genetic material that predisposes us to be too aggressive, too shy, less intelligent, or not active enough? Who has the political power and/or moral authority to make these decisions? The premise of this work is that the complexity of the transactions between nature and nurture - between genes and the environment from the cellular to the cultural level - make these questions incredibly complex and in need of careful attention by educators, scientists, the public and policymakers. A product of a conference held at Brown University in 2001, this volume suggests that genes and environments work together interactively in a complex and intertwined fashion. The contributors - biologists, psychologists, psychiatrists and economists - present knowledge that should enable research and application to transcend the traditional question of whatever variance or significance is attributed to genetics versus environment in the development of a particular behavioural trait.
The manual presents a variety of views on the status of knowledge about the ways in which dynamic, developmental, mutually interactive systems in the genetic and environmental domains operate. The chapters represent contributions from different perspectives.