{"product_id":"9783836459174","title":"Genes - Just How Important Are They? - Weighing the Causal Importance of Genes and Environment in Development","description":"Amongst the general population it is widely held that it is possible to say how much of a characteristic is due to nature and how much is due to nurture. The thought in the background here is that some causes are more important than others. However, there is a longstanding consensus within biology that such talk is in fact meaningless. So what is going on here? One answer is that talk of causal importance should be understood in non-causal terms. I consider three possibilities of how this might be done. The second answer is that despite the consensus it is possible to weigh causes. I explore five attempts utilizing the notions of information, limit setting, causal depth (both as necessity and priority), and invariance and insensitivity. Ultimately none of these attempts succeed. However, I argue that it is possible to answer a similar but separate question, namely, how much difference genes\/the environment make to a characteristic. The account offered is the first book-length philosophical treatment of whether it is possible to weigh the causes of development and it will be of interest to philosophers of biology and philosophers more generally.","brand":"VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller E.K.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47037851468016,"sku":"9783836459174","price":64.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9783836459174_p0.jpg?v=1763688340","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9783836459174","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}