What It Means to Be 98% Chimpanzee
Apes, People, and Their Genes
$40.00, £23.95 hardcover
978-0-520-22615-9
Available Now
325 pages, 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 inches, 5 b/w photographs, 2 line illustrations, 1 table
April 2002, Available worldwide
Categories: Ecology, Evolution, Environment; Evolution; Physical Anthropology; Sociology; Health & Medicine; Mammalogy
April 2002, Available worldwide
Categories: Ecology, Evolution, Environment; Evolution; Physical Anthropology; Sociology; Health & Medicine; Mammalogy
Downloadable eBook version available:
Adobe E-Reader at ebooks.com, $12.95
Adobe E-Reader at ebooks.com, $12.95
—Nature
"The style is chatty and informal, the chapters well-organized, and the documentation and referencing very useful. The author is evidently in full scholarly command of his material."—Chris Knight, Royal Anthropological Inst Journal (man)
"Provocative and often amusing. . . . the subject of this book is extraordinarily important."—Guido Barbujani, New England Journal of Medicine
"Speak[s] to the power of science as a tool for either understanding ourselves or fooling ourselves. We now know there is a biological basis for human nature, but apparently what we do too often with this nature is to nurture our own prejudices."—Natural History
"With plenty of entertaining sarcasm as well as scientific argument and moral indignation, Marks blasts the pretensions of grandiose geneticists pretty thoroughly out of the water. This may be the science book to read this year."—Booklist, starred review 4/15
"A trenchant assault on genetic reductionism and a spirited call for a more critical science, one better informed by the perspectives of anthropology and the humanities. Marks' book is a novel, intellectually provocative and wittily engaging treatment of a topic now a shibboleth of modern genetics. If it raises questions about scientists' social responsibility for which there are no easy answers, so much the better. They are important questions, too frequently evaded elsewhere."—American Scientist
"Marks' book is a powerful critique of the culture of science and a reminder that objectivity is an ideal that humans, including scientists, strive for but usually fail to attain."—Washington Post Book World
"Iconoclastic, yet witty and informative, What It Means to Be 98% Chimpanzee is the book that awkward sods everywhere have been waiting for. It is full of inconvenient ideas. Marks covers an amazing amount of ground, including short and intertwined histories of anthropology, classification, race and the nature-nurture debate. The result is a thought-provoking book that gives many of the sacred cows of primatology a good shove."—New Scientist, 6/8
"With [Stephen Jay] Gould gone, the landscape of progressive English-language popular science writing is much impoverished. But molecular anthropologist Jonathan Marks, with his broad history-of-science background, his take-no-prisoners stance on scientific stupidity and overreaching, and his hilarious Groucho Marx delivery, can help to fill that void. A real treasure trove of thoughtful, progressive scientific thought."—The Nation
"The style is chatty and informal, the chapters well-organized, and the documentation and referencing very useful. The author is evidently in full scholarly command of his material."—Chris Knight, Royal Anthropological Inst Journal (man)
"Provocative and often amusing. . . . the subject of this book is extraordinarily important."—Guido Barbujani, New England Journal of Medicine
"Speak[s] to the power of science as a tool for either understanding ourselves or fooling ourselves. We now know there is a biological basis for human nature, but apparently what we do too often with this nature is to nurture our own prejudices."—Natural History
"With plenty of entertaining sarcasm as well as scientific argument and moral indignation, Marks blasts the pretensions of grandiose geneticists pretty thoroughly out of the water. This may be the science book to read this year."—Booklist, starred review 4/15
"A trenchant assault on genetic reductionism and a spirited call for a more critical science, one better informed by the perspectives of anthropology and the humanities. Marks' book is a novel, intellectually provocative and wittily engaging treatment of a topic now a shibboleth of modern genetics. If it raises questions about scientists' social responsibility for which there are no easy answers, so much the better. They are important questions, too frequently evaded elsewhere."—American Scientist
"Marks' book is a powerful critique of the culture of science and a reminder that objectivity is an ideal that humans, including scientists, strive for but usually fail to attain."—Washington Post Book World
"Iconoclastic, yet witty and informative, What It Means to Be 98% Chimpanzee is the book that awkward sods everywhere have been waiting for. It is full of inconvenient ideas. Marks covers an amazing amount of ground, including short and intertwined histories of anthropology, classification, race and the nature-nurture debate. The result is a thought-provoking book that gives many of the sacred cows of primatology a good shove."—New Scientist, 6/8
"With [Stephen Jay] Gould gone, the landscape of progressive English-language popular science writing is much impoverished. But molecular anthropologist Jonathan Marks, with his broad history-of-science background, his take-no-prisoners stance on scientific stupidity and overreaching, and his hilarious Groucho Marx delivery, can help to fill that void. A real treasure trove of thoughtful, progressive scientific thought."—The Nation
"In this clever, entertaining, and thoughtful book, Marks lays out some important limitations of science in general and genetics in particular. Using terms that everybody can understand, he demolishes the pretensions of scientists who try to use genetics to answer questions about the kinship of nations, the rights of animals, the racial identity of Kennewick Man, the hereditary Jewish priesthood, and the existence of God. Marks has a lot of fun with all this-and so will his readers."—Matt Cartmill, author of A View to Death in the Morning: Hunting and Nature through History
"What It Means to Be 98% Chimpanzee covers a range of contemporary issues that are likely to be with us for a long time to come. No book written by a geneticist comes anywhere close."—Jon Beckwith, Research Professor, American Cancer Society, Harvard Medical School, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
"This witty book takes on perhaps the most fundamental biological, political, cultural, and epistemological question: How do we know what is similar to what, and when does it matter? Yet I hardly minded being dispossessed of a tale or two, left with a much better account of human genetic history and diversity, the triviality of too much that passes for science, and the important task of crafting a biological anthropology that takes both parts of its name seriously."—Donna Haraway, author of Primate Visions: Gender, Race, and Nature in the World of Modern Science
"Marks provides an informed and powerful critique of reductionist claims about genetics as an explanation of human behavior, cognitive abilities, and racial differences. His colorful examples range from the common ancestry of humans with daffodils and our similarities with fruit flies. A great book!"—Dorothy Nelkin, coauthor of The DNA Mystique: The Gene as a Cultural Icon
"Marks's superb teaching, lively wit, razor-sharp logic, and impeccable scientific insight come together in this book. While controversial, this narrative also proves that science and humanism can and must (if we are to navigate the unsettling future that biotech promises) mix."—Gina Maranto, Quest for Perfection: The Drive to Breed Better Humans
"A compulsively readable, erudite, and intensely personal view of our biology and our place in nature. Marks unhesitatingly plunges into the morass of human cultural, genetic, and political diversities, and in the process produces much for all of us to ponder."—Ian Tattersall, author of Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness
"There is no book just like this one. It will open further a needed debate on quality of scientific argumentation and the inherent politics of human science."—Alan H. Goodman, coeditor of Building a New Biocultural Synthesis: Political-Economic Perspectives on Human Biology
"This book is timely, engaging, authoritative, and provocative."—Kenneth Korey, Professor of Anthropology, Dartmouth College
"What It Means to Be 98% Chimpanzee covers a range of contemporary issues that are likely to be with us for a long time to come. No book written by a geneticist comes anywhere close."—Jon Beckwith, Research Professor, American Cancer Society, Harvard Medical School, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
"This witty book takes on perhaps the most fundamental biological, political, cultural, and epistemological question: How do we know what is similar to what, and when does it matter? Yet I hardly minded being dispossessed of a tale or two, left with a much better account of human genetic history and diversity, the triviality of too much that passes for science, and the important task of crafting a biological anthropology that takes both parts of its name seriously."—Donna Haraway, author of Primate Visions: Gender, Race, and Nature in the World of Modern Science
"Marks provides an informed and powerful critique of reductionist claims about genetics as an explanation of human behavior, cognitive abilities, and racial differences. His colorful examples range from the common ancestry of humans with daffodils and our similarities with fruit flies. A great book!"—Dorothy Nelkin, coauthor of The DNA Mystique: The Gene as a Cultural Icon
"Marks's superb teaching, lively wit, razor-sharp logic, and impeccable scientific insight come together in this book. While controversial, this narrative also proves that science and humanism can and must (if we are to navigate the unsettling future that biotech promises) mix."—Gina Maranto, Quest for Perfection: The Drive to Breed Better Humans
"A compulsively readable, erudite, and intensely personal view of our biology and our place in nature. Marks unhesitatingly plunges into the morass of human cultural, genetic, and political diversities, and in the process produces much for all of us to ponder."—Ian Tattersall, author of Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness
"There is no book just like this one. It will open further a needed debate on quality of scientific argumentation and the inherent politics of human science."—Alan H. Goodman, coeditor of Building a New Biocultural Synthesis: Political-Economic Perspectives on Human Biology
"This book is timely, engaging, authoritative, and provocative."—Kenneth Korey, Professor of Anthropology, Dartmouth College
The overwhelming similarity of human and ape genes is one of the best-known facts of modern genetic sciencenm. But what does this similarity mean? Does it, as many have suggested, have profound implications for understanding human nature? Well-known molecular anthropologist Jonathan Marks uses the human-versus-ape controversy as a jumping-off point for a radical reassessment of a range of provocative issues--from the role of science in society to racism, animal rights, and cloning. Full of interesting facts, fascinating personalities, and vivid examples that capture times and places, this work explains and demystifies human genetic science--showing ultimately how it has always been subject to social and political influences and teaching us how to think critically about its modern findings.
Marks presents the field of molecular anthropology--a synthesis of the holistic approach of anthropology with the reductive approach of molecular genetics--as a way of improving our understanding of the science of human evolution. As he explores the intellectual terrain of this field, he lays out its broad areas of interest with issues ranging from the differences between apes and humans to the biological and behavioral variations expressed in humans as a species. Marks confronts head-on the problems of racial classification in science. He describes current theories about race and uses work in primatology, comparative anatomy, and molecular anthropology to debunk them. He also sheds new light on the controversial Great Ape Project, the Human Genome Diversity Project, and much more. This iconoclastic, witty, and extremely readable book illuminates the deep background of human variation and asks us to reconsider the role of science in modern society.
Marks presents the field of molecular anthropology--a synthesis of the holistic approach of anthropology with the reductive approach of molecular genetics--as a way of improving our understanding of the science of human evolution. As he explores the intellectual terrain of this field, he lays out its broad areas of interest with issues ranging from the differences between apes and humans to the biological and behavioral variations expressed in humans as a species. Marks confronts head-on the problems of racial classification in science. He describes current theories about race and uses work in primatology, comparative anatomy, and molecular anthropology to debunk them. He also sheds new light on the controversial Great Ape Project, the Human Genome Diversity Project, and much more. This iconoclastic, witty, and extremely readable book illuminates the deep background of human variation and asks us to reconsider the role of science in modern society.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Molecular Anthropology
2. The Ape in You
3. How People Differ from One Another
4. The Meaning of Human Variation
5. Behavioral Genetics
6. Folk Heredity
7. Human Nature
8. Human Rights . . . for Apes?
9. A Human Gene Museum
10. Identity and Descent
11. Is Blood Really So Damn Thick?
12. Science, Religion, and Worldview
Notes and Sources
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Molecular Anthropology
2. The Ape in You
3. How People Differ from One Another
4. The Meaning of Human Variation
5. Behavioral Genetics
6. Folk Heredity
7. Human Nature
8. Human Rights . . . for Apes?
9. A Human Gene Museum
10. Identity and Descent
11. Is Blood Really So Damn Thick?
12. Science, Religion, and Worldview
Notes and Sources
Index
The Trouble with Nature: Sex in Science and Popular Culture, by Roger N. Lancaster
Sexual Selections: What We Can and Can't Learn about Sex from Animals, by Marlene Zuk
Sexual Selections: What We Can and Can't Learn about Sex from Animals, by Marlene Zuk
www.uncc.edu/jmarks/: Author's web site, which includes essays and other further reading