The Agile Gene

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Armed 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.

Ridley 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.

“Fascinating and important information from the world of science.” “Proposes a new way of looking at an ongoing debate.” “An engrossing study of what makes us who we are … conveyed with insight and style.” “Ridley is simply one of the best science writers in the business.” “Terrific popular science.” “Thoughtful and entertaining.” “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.” “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.” “A delight. . . a rich overview and a compellingly integrated picture of a great deal of science, both old and new.”

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