{"product_id":"the-agile-gene-how-nature-turns-on-nurture-isbn-9780060006792","title":"The Agile Gene: How Nature Turns on Nurture","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Bracingly intelligent, lucid, balanced—witty, too. . . . A scrupulous and charming look at our modern understanding of genes and experience.” — Oliver Sacks\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eArmed with extraordinary new discoveries about our genes, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley turns his attention to the nature-versus-nurture debate in a thoughtful book about the roots of human behavior.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRidley recounts the hundred years' war between the partisans of nature and nurture to explain how this paradoxical creature, the human being, can be simultaneously free-willed and motivated by instinct and culture. With the decoding of the human genome, we now know that genes not only predetermine the broad structure of the brain, they also absorb formative experiences, react to social cues, and even run memory. They are consequences as well as causes of the will.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow does this new science of genes and environment reshape our understanding of free will, instinct, and what it means to be human?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGenes Respond to Experience:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover how genes are not just static blueprints but are designed to absorb formative experiences, react to social cues, and build our brains in response to the world.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Myth of the Blank Slate:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore the hundred years' war between the partisans of nature and nurture, and why the idea of a mind molded entirely by society is a scientific dead end.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFree Will in a Genetic World:\u003c\/b\u003e Unravel the paradox of how human beings can be simultaneously motivated by instinct and culture, and how understanding our genes reinforces rather than removes our freedom.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWhat Twin Studies Reveal:\u003c\/b\u003e Delve into the surprising evidence from identical twins that shows how heredity shapes our personalities, and why the family you grow up in has less effect than you think.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eArmed with extraordinary new discoveries about our genes, acclaimed science writer Matt Ridley turns his attention to the nature-versus-nurture debate in a thoughtful book about the roots of human behavior.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRidley recounts the hundred years' war between the partisans of nature and nurture to explain how this paradoxical creature, the human being, can be simultaneously free-willed and motivated by instinct and culture. With the decoding of the human genome, we now know that genes not only predetermine the broad structure of the brain, they also absorb formative experiences, react to social cues, and even run memory. They are consequences as well as causes of the will.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Bracingly intelligent, lucid, balanced--witty, too....A scrupulous and charming look at our modern understanding of genes and experience.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOliver Sacks\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Matt Ridley breathes new life into the old debate of heredity versus environment. He deftly examines subjects as diverse as sexual identity, political theory, and psychotic behavior. This book will both edify and excite the intelligent reader.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJerome Groopman, M.D.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I would never have expected a book about ‘nature or nurture’ to be even mildly interesting, let alone a real page-turner. But I had reckoned without Matt Ridley’s gift for surprising the reader. What a superb writer he is, and he seems to get better and better.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRichard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Terrific popular science.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A delight. . . a rich overview and a compellingly integrated picture of a great deal of science, both old and new.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating and important information from the world of science.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Thoughtful and entertaining.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSalon.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Proposes a new way of looking at an ongoing debate.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An engrossing study of what makes us who we are … conveyed with insight and style.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Provocative …engaging … [Ridley] makes another little-noticed bombshell in scientific research easy for laypeople to understand.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDetroit Free Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ridley is simply one of the best science writers in the business.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHartford Courant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ridley’s enthusiasm for his subject is contagious … He writes with panache, wit and humor and displays remarkable ingenuity in finding ways to present complicated materials for the lay reader.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44887548952805,"sku":"NP9780060006792","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780060006792.jpg?v=1730226339","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-agile-gene-how-nature-turns-on-nurture-isbn-9780060006792","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}