| Description |
1 online resource (xiv, 318 pages) : color illustrations, color maps |
| Contents |
1. Introduction: "There be monsters"? -- 2. The basic framework: Nature and nurture, risks and gains -- 3. Disputes over genomic science are not partisan -- 4. Enthusiasm and skepticism -- 5. Hope and rejection -- 6. Locating experts in the basic framework -- 7. Locating the public in the basic framework -- 8. Who should govern? -- 9. Governing genomics |
| Summary |
"A groundbreaking analysis of how the genomic revolution is transforming American society and creating new social divisions-some along racial lines-that promise to fundamentally shape American politics for years to come. The emergence of genomic science in the last quarter century has revolutionized medicine, the justice system, and our very understanding of who we are. We use genomics to determine guilt and exonerate the convicted; devise new medicines; test embryos; and discover our ethnic and national roots. One might think that, given these advances, most would favor the availability of genomic tools. Yet as Jennifer Hochschild explains in More Science, Less Fear?, the uses of genomic science are both politically charged and hotly contested. The political divisions around genomics do not follow the usual left-right ideological divides that dominate most of American politics. Through four controversial innovations resulting from genomic science--genetically modified medicines that target African-Americans, who are demographically more susceptible to heart disease; the use of DNA evidence in the criminal justice system; the current ancestry craze; and the use of genetic tests in prenatal exams--Hochschild reveals how the phenomenon is polarizing America in novel ways. Advocates of genomic science argue that these applications will make life better, but their opponents respond by pointing out the potential for misuse--from racial profiling to "selecting out" fetuses that gene tests show to have conditions like Down's Syndrome. Hochschild's central message is that the divide hinges on answers to two questions: How significant are genetic factors in explaining human traits and behaviors? And what is the right balance between risk acceptance and risk avoidance for a society grappling with innovations arising from genomic science? A deeply researched and original analysis of the politics surrounding one of the signal issues of our times, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how the genetics revolution is reshaping society."--Publisher |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (Oxford Scholarship Online, viewed March 25, 2022) |
| Subject |
Genetics -- Social aspects -- United States
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Sociogenomics -- Social aspects -- United States
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Genomics -- Social aspects -- United States
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Genetics -- Political aspects -- United States
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Sociogenomics -- Political aspects -- United States
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Genomics -- Political aspects -- United States
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Genetics -- Social aspects
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Genomics -- Social aspects
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United States
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| ISBN |
9780197550762 |
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0197550762 |
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0197550754 |
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9780197550748 |
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0197550746 |
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9780197550755 |
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