The announcement in 2003 that the Human Genome Project had completed its map of the entire human genome was heralded as a stunning scientific breakthrough: our first full picture of the basic building blocks of human life. Since then, boasts about the benefits - and warnings of the dangers - of genomics have remained front-page news, with everyone agreeing that genomics has the potential to radically alter life as we know it. For the nonscientist, the claims and counterclaims are dizzying - what does it really mean to understand the genome? Barry Barnes and John Dupr offer an answer to that question and much more in Genomes and What to Make of Them, a clear and lively account of the genomic revolution and its promise. The book opens with a brief history of the science of genetics and genomics, from Mendel to Watson and Crick and all the way up to Craig Venter; from there the authors delve into the use of genomics in determining evolutionary paths - and what it can tell us, for example, about how far we really have come from our ape ancestors. Barnes and Dupr then consider both the power and risks of genetics, from the economic potential of plant genomes to overblown claims that certain human genes can be directly tied to such traits as intelligence or homosexuality. Ultimately, the authors argue, we are now living with a new knowledge as powerful in its way as nuclear physics, and the stark choices that face us - between biological warfare and gene therapy, a new eugenics or a new agricultural revolution - will demand the full engagement of both scientists and citizens. Written in straightforward language but without denying the complexity of the issues, Genomes and What to Make of Them is both an up-to-date primer and a blueprint for the future.

Genomes and What to Make of Them

Barry Barnes

John Dupré

University of Chicago Press

Originally published in 1974.   Scientific Knowledge and Sociological Theory centres on the problem of explaining the manifest variety and contrast in the beliefs about nature held in different groups and societies. It maintains that the sociologist should treat all beliefs symmetrically and must investigate and account for allegedly "correct" or "scientific" beliefs just as he would "incorrect" or "unscientific" ones. From this basic position a study of scientific beliefs is constructed. The sociological interest of such beliefs is illustrated and a sociological perspective upon scientific change is developed.

Scientific knowledge and sociological theory (Monographs in social theory)

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Routledge & K.Paul

Pick of the best chess problems

Humor & Entertainment

Puzzles & Games

Elliot Right Way Books

The nature of power

The Nature of Power

Sociology

Polity Press

This work presents a challenging theory concerning the nature of power. Discussing most of the conventional theories, Barnes points to a number of major shortcomings. Some theories merely coin synonyms for power, while others examine the effects of, and beliefs about, power rather than analyzing power per se. Others again, notably Talcott Parsons, offer genuinely interesting accounts of the nature of power deriving from and dependent upon untenable theories of the nature of society and social order. Developing an original perspective of his own, Barnes sees power residing in the routines of social life and in the capacity for action which those routines represent. To be able to direct the routines of a society is to possess power within it. And the question of who is and who is not so able is established as an aspect of the distribution of knowledge in the society. Such an account offers fresh insights into the nature of power, and suggests interesting new ways of distinguishing between power, authority and influence. This book should be of interest to those teaching and researching in many areas of sociology and politics, and an aid to those teaching and researching in this area.

The authors bring the perspectives of sociology and anthropology to bear on key historical developments in various fields of science, demonstrating that it is possible to study science in the same way as other forms of culture - art, music, and literature. They show that our understanding of science, and the development of scientific knowledge, can be enriched by these perspectives, and that the history of science can benefit from case studies, such as those presented here.

Mad Genius Controversy: Study in the Sociology of Development (Sociological Observations)

Biographies & Memoirs

Steven Shapin

Professionals & Academics

Sage Publications, Inc.

Zombie Circus

TEG Publishing

The Elements Of Social Theory

Taylor&Francis

Illustration West Annual

Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles

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Books by Barry Barnes