Human Differences

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31001, 5 March 1966, Page 4

Human Differences

Heredity and the Nature of Man. By Theodosius Dobzhansky. Allen and Unwin 179 pp.

Man has always been faced with the problem of how to live with his fellow-men. As the world’s population increases the problem becomes more urgent. Human beings are not only multitudinous but also diverse and what makes people different from one another is an important question if we are going to understand our fellows and live peaceably with them.

Two ideas have traditionally been offered to account for human differences. One idea assumes that the differences are due to the diversity of hereditaries and the other idea assumes that the differences are due to the diversity of environments. The old controversy between the supporters of nature and nurture has now been superseded by the knowledge that account must be taken of both the hereditarian and enviromentalist viewpoints. Any individual and his physical, mental

and cultural characteristics are the result of the interaction of nature and nurture. On this understanding Dobzhansky provides an introduction to the humanistic aspects of genetics; that is the basic facts, ideas and conclusions most relevant to man, his origins and future. Dobzhansky discusses the nature of individual differences and the relative importance of heredity and environment. He considers some highly controversial issues such as the implication of racial differences for the doctrine of human equality, the genetic dangers in helping the unfit to survive and the effects on human heredity of mutations arising from X-ray and nuclear fallout.

“Heredity and the Nature of Man” is based on a series of lectures for laymen and does not assume any specialist knowledge on the part of the reader. Dr. Dobzhansky writes simply and clearly and brings to the discussion of complex issues the breadth of perspective to be expected in a distinguished scholar.