Customer Reviews

Are We Hardwired?: The Role of Genes in Human Behavior

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved Clark’s “Sex and the Origin of Death” and “At War Within”. By comparison, I was disappointed in Hardwired. It is a serious , very informative book, and I believe you can trust Clark. The earlier chapters, about one celled animals, a worm, and a fly, were brilliant, and a lot about the basis of human behavior may be learned from them. The material in the first chapter about studies of twins separated at birth is provocative. The problem is that once Clark, or was it Grunstein, got to vertebrates, the material was just not well integrated. Too often the book read as a series of summaries of successive findings, some of which were inconsistent. Yes, Clark had some overarching themes, repeated a number of times, but that doesn’t replace a good synthesis. There is much that is partially understood at best, and a lot of research which casts light only on a small piece of the puzzle, making a good synthesis more difficult for conscientious authors, but that just makes their job harder, not impossible. Bottom line: if you are interested in the subject AND in science, including technical details, read this book, until a better one comes along.

It was fascinating to learn what is known to date about biochemical reactions and pathways which have a role in memory and behavior, and how it has been possible to tease out which genes produce which critical enzymes in those processes. In particular it is amazing to me how much of this scientists have learned by studying simpler organisms like paramecia, round worms,and fruit flies. The fundamental chemistry seems to have been quite stable for 600 millions of years!

Of course a single book can hardly attempt to unravel the nature/nurture interaction, the rough completion of the genome project itself only scratches the surface. But I learned a great deal by getting a peek at some of the basics which are known to date.

Are We Hardwired? is an interesting discussion of the recent progress made in the genetics of behavior. The authors begin their book by describing some of the data found in the now famous Minnesota twin studies and proceed to discuss some of the information derived from study of much simpler organisms. They link information on the paramecium, the round worm C. elegans, the much studied fruit fly Drosophila, and the humble mouse to similar biological events in humans and show how the research has helped us better understand our own kind, its strengths and weaknesses.

The first chapter is dedicated to the amazing degree to which genetically identical individuals share similar behavioral characteristics. Even when reared in different environments and completely unaware of their genetically identical siblings, twins are seen to share much more in common with one another and their biological family than they do with their adoptive family. This is seen especially clearly in the studies on obesity, substance abuse and sexual preference.

Chapters 2 through 8 reveal what simpler organisms have to say about behavior. By studying these animals, which possess very simple genetics and biological systems, scientists have been able to more closely pinpoint genetic sites active in mammalian organisms which perform similar functions. What is most surprising is the degree to which nature has conserved "what works" over time. The simple response of a single celled animal to its environment and it's ability to learn or to habituate to a stimulus over time suggests some of the chemical underpinnings of behavior in much more complex animals. The simple neural pathways of the round worm, for instance, allow identification of specific responses to stimulation or inhibition of these pathways. Even the time keeping propensities of yeast and fruitflies is studied and has implications for the circadian clocks of humans and other mammals.

Given the dark history of the first half of the last century with respect to human biology, the information provided in the last chapters--having to do with eating disorders, substance abuse, mental functioning, and sexual preference--will be the most controversial for readers. These chapters discuss recent genetic data that indicate a strong heritability for many of these behaviors and point out the caveats for research in these sensitive areas. The authors are especially quick to point out that IQ is a murky measurement at best and has often been used as a means of justifying social inequality but they also note that intelligence, like other human behaviors, is genetically perpetuated and therefore a valid subject of study. They also point out that the genome project, while it might easily be used to discriminate unjustly, provides an avenue of remarkable opportunity to remedy the ills of mankind.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the authors on the ethical issues and the dangers of research in the area of human genetics, the book is a wonderful, readable volume on what modern research has to say about behavior. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the science of genetics or in behavior. It might be a little more difficult for the junior high student, but those in senior high or older should be able to understand it.

Clark and Grunstein, scholars in molecular and chemical biology, answer their own question by saying both yes or no. Perhaps half of our behavior can be linked to our DNA, but even then how genes are expressed depends on environmental factors, both pre- and postnatal. The book takes the reader on a tour of modern genetics as well as behavioral findings in regard to such topics as pheremones, learning, memory, biological clocks, neurotransmitters, aggression, eating disorders, substance abuse, mental functioning and sexual preference. It is not easy reading the very worthwhile in getting a feel for where science is with their question as to the extent of our being hardwired. Stay tuned; much more additional knowledge expected in the years ahead.

This book takes on the really big questions about human existence: Is our behavior controlled by our genes, our environment or both? Is our behavior genetically dictated? If so, what can (or should) we do about it? This book actually makes some headway in resolving these questions and others like them and has the added attraction of giving you a survey of the science in this area.

This book sat on my coffee table unread for six months because I harbored two opposing fears about reading it: On the one hand, I thought that the technical scientific details would be daunting, and on the other, I feared that this was an area that was not capable of intellectual resolution, that nothing of importance to understanding the human condition could be learned in this area. I was wrong on both counts. This book is a great introduction to what science has learned about the role of genes in human behavior and it is presented in a manner comprehensible to the lay reader.

The first half of the book is devoted to the study of the behavior of comparatively simple creatures, round worms, Drosophila, sea slugs, etc. By analyzing simplified nervous systems, the authors are able to explore some simple relationships between genes and behavior. Then, in the second half, these same relationships are explored in more advanced creatures and in humans. The authors make clear the limits of the extension of these principles to more complex settings, but they were able to convince me of the appropriateness of the application of these studies to more complex species.

The conclusions that the authors draw are not simplistic. The complex interplay of neurotransmitters is effectively developed and the possibility of multiple behavioral and neural antecedents to behavior is acknowledged. Still the same the reader will be awed, both by the genetic and neural science and by the implications for the human condition.

In short, this is exactly the kind of book that will rock you back in your chair, stunned by the complexity and wonder that is the human neurological system.

Clark and Grunstein write more of an academic book than one meant for the casual reader. It lacks the freshness of "Born That Way" by William Wright. It covers the same ground "Genome" and "Nature Via Nurture" by Matt Ridley, but without his sly wit and interesting anecdotes. However, if this was the only book you read on the subject it would be completely adequate as a primer on the subject. Writing about genetics requires uncommon skills due to the complex nature of the subject matter. The endless permutations of letter bases and the many ways in which the various componebts of the gene string continuously interact require a skilled storyteller, one who can get by without exceeding the possible symbolic logic skills of the lay reader. It reminds me of a book about sports with too many X's and O's. I guess it srikes me as a "me to" book, but as a stand-alone it's fine. It gives the reader an insight into the most interesting developments of interest to the broadest swath of society.

This is a fascinating subject which with which everyone should become acquainted, and different readers respond to different authors. If you are an in depth lay-researcher on the subject add this to your library.

It was fascinating to learn what is known to date about biochemical reactions and pathways which have a role in memory and behavior, and how it has been possible to tease out which genes produce which critical enzymes in those processes. In particular it is amazing to me how much of this scientists have learned by studying simpler organisms like paramecia, round worms,and fruit flies. The fundamental chemistry seems to have been quite stable for 600 millions of years!

Of course a single book can hardly attempt to unravel the nature/nurture interaction, the rough completion of the genome project itself only scratches the surface. But I learned a great deal by getting a peek at some of the basics which are known to date.

I have no problem with Math or Physics but I flunked HS biology 2 years n a row and I still glaze over and turn off when someone starts talking about biology. I am nevertheless interested in the many wonderful new uderstandings of life we are getting so I was delighted to find this book. It really helped me understand a lot of basics and from there to gain some insight into how humans work. The early chapters on paramecium, round worms, and mice were wonderful. I see a lot of human behavior differently now because of this.

I also appreciated their explanation of why they think human intelligence is not going to be dependent on a single gene - partly because we can't define what intellience is and partly because there are so many different kinds of intelligence, dependent on so many different parts of human physiology interactig in very complex ways.

In the last few pages they try to explain why this doesn't all negate the idea of free will. I.e., does NOT mean that our behavior is completely determined by our genes. Their theory basically boils down to 'butterfly effect' (non-linear dynamics) and complexity. All that really says is that we can't calculate it with any precision at all. Not very convincing for me but I don't care if free will exists or not while they seem to so if it convinces you then beleive away!

Taken literally the answer to the title question is obviously "somewhat". The more interesting question, as alluded to in the subtitle, is "how much"? This book provides a very good and well documented discussion of the role of genetics in several aspects of human behavior.

The topics covered include aggression, eating disorders, substance abuse, cognitive capabilities and sexual preference. The claims made by the authors are supported by multiple methods. Not only are statistical correlations from case studies used, but so are causes directly from biochemistry.

It doesn't require any special prior knowledge, it presents all the material from biology that is needed to follow the evidence. This is mainly basic genetics, biochemistry and neurology. This material is necessary because the authors are very careful to justify their claims.

To summarize I thought this was a very good book. The only minor complaint I have is that a couple of times the authors seemed almost apologetic when the influence of genetics was found to be larger than some people apparently want them to be. While the book is written for non-experts, the fact that the authors support their claims to thoroughly with evidence makes this book more challenging than a typical popular book.

I found this book to be very interesting. It presents a lot of recent research that has been conducted in the field of genetics and neurobiology, along with many older studies, mainly adoption and twin studies. Ultimately the author is not able to resolve the nuture vs. nature debate, but he does draw many important conclusions and also discusses current research which will definately lead to clarification of the issue in the near future. I think that a good prior knowledge of genetics and biology in general are neccessary in order to get the most out of this book, which spends a fair deal of time discussing individual experiments which may be very difficult for a person without a biology background to understand.

All things considered, it was an interesting book that was, in my opinion, well worth the time it took to read.