THE NEW PROBLEM OF GENETICS - A RESPONSE TO GIFFORD

被引:12
作者
SMITH, KC
机构
[1] Department of Philosophy and Zoology, Duke University, Durham, 27708, NC
关键词
EPIGENETIC; GENETIC; GENOTYPE; MORPHOLOGY; PHENOTYPE;
D O I
10.1007/BF00129974
中图分类号
N09 [自然科学史]; B [哲学、宗教];
学科分类号
01 ; 0101 ; 010108 ; 060207 ; 060305 ; 0712 ;
摘要
Recently, Fred Gifford attempted to explicate the meaning of the term "genetic" as applied to phenotypic traits. He takes as his primary goal the explication of how the term is used and tries to avoid conclusions about how it should be used. He proposes two independent criteria (DF and PI) which together capture much of what biologists mean when they describe traits as "genetic". Although Gifford's approach is extremely insightful in many ways, I argue that his analysis is not sufficiently critical concerning the adequacy of common usage. In particular, while DF is a perfectly legitimate and useful measure of heritability in populations, it is not necessarily a genetic one and should not be labeled as such. PI on the other hand, although very intuitive, depends on an extremely problematic distinction between causes and mere conditions (e.g., genes and epigenetic factors). Both criteria will be highly relative and both, via what I term "the new problem of genetics", will inspire contradictory analyses based on the same data. Fortunately, as Gifford recognizes, it is not necessary to make sense of "genetic" at all in order to do biology. Quantitative genetics can do the kind of (heritability) analysis that DF embodies without making questionable claims about genes. Causal-mechanical or "bottom-up" biology can proceed perfectly well without postulating the privileged role for "genetic causes" that PI entails. In short, talk of "genetic traits", under either criteria, is unnecessary and misleading.
引用
收藏
页码:331 / 348
页数:18
相关论文
共 10 条
[1]  
[Anonymous], 1990, ADAPTATION ENV
[2]  
BONNER JT, 1987, AM ZOOL, V27, P715
[3]  
Bonner JT., 1988, EVOLUTION COMPLEXITY
[4]  
BURIAN R, 1981, PHILOS FORUM, V13, P43
[5]  
DELISI C, 1988, AM SCI, V76, P488
[6]  
Falconer D. S, 1981, INTRO QUANTITATIVE G
[7]   GENETIC-TRAITS [J].
GIFFORD, F .
BIOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY, 1990, 5 (03) :327-347
[8]  
GOODWIN B, 1990, COMMUNICATION
[9]   SPANDRELS OF SAN-MARCO AND THE PANGLOSSIAN PARADIGM - A CRITIQUE OF THE ADAPTATIONIST PROGRAM [J].
GOULD, SJ ;
LEWONTIN, RC .
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY SERIES B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 1979, 205 (1161) :581-598
[10]  
SALMON WC, 1971, STATISTICAL EXPLANAT