A Critical Look at the Book Not by Genes Alone

Abstract

The current review is on a book entitled Not by Genes Alone written by Peter J. Richerson and Robert Boyd. The review begins with an introduction to Human sciences in Iran and the world, and different aspects are discussed. The role of biological factors and Genetics in shaping human behavior and culture is critiqued. Although this book is not a new book on this matter, it refers to the importance of culture and biological evolution. The authors describe the importance of culture for understanding human behavior and the fact that culture is part of biology. The authors believe that to understand culture, the “population thinking” (thinking that the influence on a population is the main cause of change in culture and not an individual human being) is the key. Genes and environment interact together, and both play a role in human behavior.

Keywords

• human sciences
• behavior
• genetics
• genomics
• environment
• behavioral sciences
• social sciences
• population thinking