Oedipus rex in the genomic era : human behaviour, law and society

This book explores the answers to fundamental questions about the human mind and human behaviour with the help of two ancient texts. The first is __Oedipus Rex__ (__Oedipus Tyrannus__) by Sophocles, written in the 5th century BCE. The second is human DNA, with its origins around 4 billion years ago, and continuously revised by chance and evolution. With Sophocles as a guide, the authors take a journey into the Genomic era, an age marked by ever-expanding insights into the human genome. Over the course of this journey, the book explores themes of free will, fate, and chance; prediction, misinterpretation, and the burden that comes with knowledge of the future; self-fulfilling and self-defeating prophecies; the forces that contribute to similarities and differences among people; roots and lineage; and the judgement of oneself and others. Using __Oedipus Rex__ as its lens, this novel work provides an engaging overview of behavioural genetics that demonstrates its relevance across the humanities and the social and life sciences. It will appeal in particular to students and scholars of genetics, education, psychology, sociology, and law. "This wonderful book is enlightening and entertaining in equal measure. It makes a valuable contribution by bringing Oedipus to geneticists and genetics to lovers of literature, joining narratives from different times and disciplines and, in doing so, helping us to reflect on what it means to be human." -- Kathryn Asbury, University of York, UK "This book is a masterful and riveting re-examination, through the lens of modern genomic science, of the most fundamental issues inherent in the human condition. It is a joy to read!" -- Richard M. Kohn, Principal, Goldberg Kohn Ltd., Past Board Chair, Brain Research Foundation, USA This book explores the answers to fundamental questions about the human mind and human behaviour with the help of two ancient texts. The first is Oedipus Rex (Oedipus Tyrannus) by Sophocles, written in the 5th century BCE. The second is human DNA, with its origins around 4 billion years ago, and continuously revised by chance and evolution. With Sophocles as a guide, the authors take a journey into the Genomic era, an age marked by ever expanding insights into the human genome. Over the course of this journey, the book explores themes of free will, fate, and chance; prediction, misinterpretation, and the burden that comes with knowledge of the future; self-fulfilling and self-defeating prophecies; the forces that contribute to similarities and differences among people; roots and lineage; and the judgement of oneself and others. Using Oedipus Rex as its lens, this novel work provides an engaging overview of behavioural genetics that demonstrates its relevance across the humanities and the social and life sciences. It will appeal in particular to students and scholars of genetics, education, psychology, sociology, and law. Yulia Kovas is Professor of Genetics and Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK and Visiting Professor at New York University London, UK; Tomsk State University, Russia; and other universities. She is director and advisor of several international research laboratories. Fatos Selita is an English Barrister and a New York State Attorney and Counselor at Law. He is Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK and Tomsk State University, Russia, and Visiting Lecturer at other universities Acknowledgement 5 Contents 6 List of Figures 9 List of Boxes 10 1 A Journey into the Genomic Era: Sophocles Will Be Our Guide... 11 Oedipus Rex and Behavioural Genetics 12 The Journey 14 Plot of the Three Theban Plays 17 Characters of the Theban Plays (and Their Equivalents in the Genomic Era) 21 A Note on Citations and Translations 22 List of Translations Used in This Book 23 References 25 2 Genes, Environments and Life Trajectories 26 Familiality 28 Lineage 38 Chance, Genes and Crossroads 44 References 47 3 Free Will in the Genomic Era 53 The Free Will Confusion, Illusion and Delusion 53 Free Will and Determinism 56 Free Will and Errors of Attribution 61 Free Will and Punishment 64 The Will of the Self 72 References 75 4 Prophesied Future and Redefined Past in the Genomic Era 80 Destiny, Fatalism and Predetermination 81 Bringing Fate About 83 The New Pantheon of Gods in the Genomic Era 85 Prediction in the Digital World 86 Oracles and Prophecy in the Genomic Era 90 The Power of Expectation 95 The Dangers of Misinterpretation 97 Redefining the Past 101 Support in Dealing with ‘Prophecies’ 103 ‘Quantum’ Prophecy 105 References 108 5 DNA: The Greatest Text of All 118 Length of Text and Depth of Meaning 119 Genes vs. Genome 125 Lost and Found in Translation 127 Alternative Splicing 129 Beyond Genes 133 Variation 135 Expression: Reading the Text 143 The Age of the Text 147 Particles, Atoms and Elements 148 Life Emerging from Non-Organic Universal Debris and Star Dust 149 DNA—The Connector of All Species 152 Editing the Text 154 Storing New Meanings 156 Randomness, Feedback and the Absence of a Plan 161 Oedipus Rex in the Genomic Era 164 Epilogue 166 Chorus (Citizens of the Genomic Era) 167 Afterword 168 References 169 Glossary 180 Index 238 This book explores the answers to fundamental questions about the human mind and human behaviour with the help of two ancient texts. The first is Oedipus Rex (Oedipus Tyrannus) by Sophocles, written in the 5th century BCE. The second is human DNA, with its origins around 4 billion years ago, and continuously revised by chance and evolution. With Sophocles as a guide, the authors take a journey into the Genomic era, an age marked by ever expanding insights into the human genome. Over the course of this journey, the book explores themes of free will, fate, and chance; prediction, misinterpretation, and the burden that comes with knowledge of the future; self-fulfilling and self-defeating prophecies; the forces that contribute to similarities and differences among people; roots and lineage; and the judgement of oneself and others. Using Oedipus Rex as its lens, this novel work provides an engaging overview of behavioural genetics that demonstrates its relevance across the humanities and the social and life sciences. It will appeal in particular to students and scholars of genetics, education, psychology, sociology, and law. Front Matter Pages i-xiii PDF A Journey into the Genomic Era: Sophocles Will Be Our Guide Pages 1-15 Genes, Environments and Life Trajectories Pages 17-43 Free Will in the Genomic Era Pages 45-71 Prophesied Future and Redefined Past in the Genomic Era Pages 73-110 DNA: The Greatest Text of All Pages 111-172