Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 7-31-2011

Keywords

biomedicine, control, epidemiology, heterogeneity, participation

Disciplines

Agriculture | Biology | Epidemiology | Statistics and Probability

Abstract

This working paper is a prospectus for research, writing, and engagement. It consists of vignettes, sketches of lines of inquiry, and proposals for engagement, all of which concern modern understandings of heredity and development over the life course as well as the social interpretation of science. The various items address a range of areas of science and of its interpretation: heritability studies, the social uses of genetic information, gene-by-environment interaction, personalized medicine, IQ paradoxes, racial group membership, biobanks, and life events and difficulties research. Fresh perspectives in these areas are opened up by examining the ways that research and application of resulting knowledge address—or suppress—heterogeneity in a range of senses (including individual particularity and variation around a mean). The prospectus is presented in the spirit of unfinished and open inquiry, aiming to encourage readers to make further contributions of their own. Adopting or adapting items in the prospectus is encouraged, as is critical commentary on practical and theoretical issues raised by the items.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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