Taboo and Genetics

Peters, Iva Lowther, 1876-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 337K words
Chapters: 34

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Taboo and Genetics by Blanchard, Knight, and PetersAuthor: Peters, Iva Lowther, 1876-,Language: English, Class: HQ: Social sciences: The family, Marriage, Sex and Gender, Release Date: Dec 11, 2004

Editor's review

Taboo and Genetics, co-authored by Knight, Blanchard, and Peters, falls under the social-science category of family, marriage, and gender, and discusses the tension between taboo concepts and genetic knowledge. Its reading value is chiefly historical: it shows how scholars in the early twentieth century used genetic discourse to explain social norms, and how they in turn examined scientific judgments through the concept of taboo. The eugenic context and gender assumptions it involves require critical treatment today, but precisely for that reason it serves as primary material for the history of science, gender studies, and the history of social thought. The book is an English public-domain electronic edition, and its length and argumentative style carry the academic-essay character of its era. Readers who approach it with questions in mind can observe how science and culture shaped each other, rather than taking its views as current conclusions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of the history of science and social thought examining the historical context of genetic discourse
Readers in gender and family studies concerned with early academic expressions of taboo concepts
Readers of English public-domain books with critical reading habits who can discern the limitations of the era
Upper-level students needing early twentieth-century primary sources for course papers

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking authoritative contemporary conclusions on genetics or sex education
Those sensitive to eugenic and gender-biased statements who prefer not to engage with historical texts
Beginning readers with limited English reading experience who need modern introductions and annotation

Reading tips

Read the introduction and table of contents first, marking the authors' core definitions of taboo and genetics before entering the main text
Record the era's presuppositions as you read, distinguishing historical description from credible scientific conclusions
Read alongside secondary literature in contemporary history of science and gender studies to build a critical framework
Excerpt key passages by theme so that conceptual shifts can be traced when writing papers

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Do the book's views still hold today?

Many of its judgments on genetics and social norms carry the limitations of the early twentieth century and should not be taken directly as current conclusions. Its value lies in historical context and the questions it raises; readers should maintain critical distance and consult contemporary research.

Can I read it without a background in genetics?

Yes, but it should be treated as a historical document rather than a textbook. It helps to learn the basic background of eugenics and early genetics before entering the main text; note unfamiliar terms for later lookup rather than trying to understand every sentence.

Why discuss taboo and genetics together?

The authors attempt to examine the interaction between social taboo concepts and genetic explanations, which is itself a question in the history of science. Readers can focus on how the two support or conflict with each other without having to accept the entire argument.

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About the author

Peters, Iva Lowther, 1876- Author · 1876

Iva Lowther Peters (born 1876) is an author about whom limited public information is available; her dates and nationality are not clearly documented, and only her birth year, 1876, is known. One work by her is held in the collection, Taboo and Genetics. Judging from its title, the book likely addresses the intersection of social taboos and genetics, examining taboo phenomena from biological and anthropological perspectives. Because further biographical materials are lacking, her writing style and scholarly influence are difficult to describe in detail; based on the surviving work alone, her writing appears to reflect early interdisciplinary research, bringing genetic knowledge into discussions of social and cultural phenomena. Public information is limited, and readers seeking a deeper understanding of her life and work must rely on the original book and further documentary research.