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Biological determinism

 
Biological Determinism

 
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Biological determinism
 
 
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Biological determinism, also called genetic determinism
Genetic determinism

Genetic determinism is the belief that genes determine physical and behavioral phenotypes. The term may be applied to the mapping of a single gene to a single phenotype or to the belief that most or all phenotypes are determined mostly or exclusively by genes....
, is the hypothesis
Hypothesis

A hypothesis consists either of a suggested explanation for an observable phenomenon or of a reasoned proposal predicting a possible causal correlation among multiple phenomena....
 that biological factors such as an organism's individual genes (as opposed to social or environmental factors) completely determine how a system
System

System is a set of interacting or interdependent entities, real or abstract, forming an integrated whole.The concept of an "integrated whole" can also be stated in terms of a system embodying a set of relationships which are differentiated from relationships of the set to other elements, and from relationships between an element of the se...
 behaves or changes over time.

Consider certain human behaviors, such as having a particular taste in music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, committing murder
Murder

Murder as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide....
, or writing poetry
Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
.






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Criminal Brains
Biological determinism, also called genetic determinism
Genetic determinism

Genetic determinism is the belief that genes determine physical and behavioral phenotypes. The term may be applied to the mapping of a single gene to a single phenotype or to the belief that most or all phenotypes are determined mostly or exclusively by genes....
, is the hypothesis
Hypothesis

A hypothesis consists either of a suggested explanation for an observable phenomenon or of a reasoned proposal predicting a possible causal correlation among multiple phenomena....
 that biological factors such as an organism's individual genes (as opposed to social or environmental factors) completely determine how a system
System

System is a set of interacting or interdependent entities, real or abstract, forming an integrated whole.The concept of an "integrated whole" can also be stated in terms of a system embodying a set of relationships which are differentiated from relationships of the set to other elements, and from relationships between an element of the se...
 behaves or changes over time.

Consider certain human behaviors, such as having a particular taste in music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, committing murder
Murder

Murder as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide....
, or writing poetry
Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
. A biological determinist would look only at innate factors, such as genetic makeup
Genotype

The genotype is the trait we can't see. The genotype is the Genetics constitution of a cell, an organism, or an individual usually with reference to a specific character under consideration....
, in deciding whether or not a given person would exhibit these behaviors. They would ignore non-innate factors, such as social custom
Convention (norm)

A convention is a set of agreement, stipulated or generally accepted standards, norm , norm or criterion, often taking the form of a Custom ....
s and expectations, education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
, and physical environment
Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
.

Biologists sometimes regard a charge of biological determinism as a straw man
Straw man

A straw man logical argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting a superficially similar proposition , and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position....
, as there is currently no support for strict biological determinism in the field of genetics
Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
 or development
Developmental biology

Developmental biology is the study of the process by which organisms grow and develop. Modern developmental biology studies the genetic control of cell growth, cellular differentiation and "morphogenesis," which is the process that gives rise to biological tissues, organ s and anatomy....
, and virtually no support among geneticists for the strong thesis of biological determinism. However, individual scientists may disagree as to the role that genetic and environmental factors play. Modern genetics, in large part, is concerned with studying the dialogue between genes and environment.

Biological determinism is the opposite of social determinism
Social determinism

Social determinism is the hypothesis that social interactions and constructs alone determine individual behavior .Consider certain human behaviors, such as having a particular sexual orientation, committing murder, or writing poetry....
.

A critique has been developed against the uncritical use of biological determinism or biology as ideology (something that has been termed "biologism"). The most famous book on the subject is Richard Lewontin
Richard Lewontin

Richard Charles "Dick" Lewontin is an United States evolutionary biologist, geneticist and social commentator. A leader in developing the mathematical basis of population genetics and evolutionary theory, he pioneered the notion of using techniques from molecular biology such as gel electrophoresis to apply to questions of genetic variation...
's "Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA" (1991). Lewontin argued that while traditional Darwinism has portrayed the organism as passive recipient of environmental influences, a correct understanding should emphasize the organism as an active constructer of its own environment. Niches are not pre-formed, empty receptacles into which organisms are inserted, but are defined and created by organisms. The organism-environment relationship is reciprocal and dialectical.

See also

  • Anthropological criminology
    Anthropological criminology

    Anthropological criminology is a field of offender profiling, based on perceived links between the nature of a crime and the personality or physical appearance of the offender....
  • Conscious Robots
    Conscious Robots

    Conscious Robots is a book exploring hard determinism written by Paul Kwatz and published in 2005. Kwatz argues that the illusion of free will can be dispelled by considering our personal experience and scientific knowledge....
  • Cultural determinism
    Cultural determinism

    Cultural determinism is the belief that the culture in which we are raised determines who we are at emotional and behavioral levels. This supports the theory that environmental influences dominate who we are instead of biologically inherited traits....
  • Environmental determinism
    Environmental determinism

    Environmental determinism, also known as climatic determinism or geographical determinism, is the view that the physical environment, rather than social conditions, determines culture....
  • Epigenetics
    Epigenetics

    In biology, the term epigenetics refers to Heritability changes in phenotype or gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence ....
  • Eugenics
    Eugenics

    Eugenics is a scientific field involving the controlled breeding of humans in order to achieve desirable traits in future generations. Eugenics was at its height in first half of the 20th century and was largely abandoned with the end of World War II....
  • Genetic determinism
    Genetic determinism

    Genetic determinism is the belief that genes determine physical and behavioral phenotypes. The term may be applied to the mapping of a single gene to a single phenotype or to the belief that most or all phenotypes are determined mostly or exclusively by genes....
  • Mudsill theory
    Mudsill theory

    Mudsill theory is a sociological theory which proposes that there must be, and always has been, a lower class for the upper classes to rest upon....
  • Nature versus nurture
    Nature versus nurture

    The nature versus nurture debates concern the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences in Determinism or causality individual differences in physiology and behaviour traits....
  • Social determinism
    Social determinism

    Social determinism is the hypothesis that social interactions and constructs alone determine individual behavior .Consider certain human behaviors, such as having a particular sexual orientation, committing murder, or writing poetry....
  • Sociobiology
    Sociobiology

    Sociobiology is a Neo-Darwinism synthesis of scientific disciplines that attempts to explain social behavior in all species by considering the evolutionary advantages the behaviors may have....
  • Criminal Tribes Act
    Criminal Tribes Act

    File:A Pamphlet on Gobinda Doms Gang, under the Criminal Tribes Act , dated 1942.jpgThe term Criminal Tribes Act applies to various successive pieces of legislation enforced in British India during British Raj; the first enacted in 1871 as Criminal Tribes Act applied mostly in North India....