ABSTRACT
In the last two decades, the field of molecular genetics has made great strides in decoding human genetic defects. Notable technological improvements have included the ability to designate and mark those defects prenatally, at earlier and earlier points in the pregnancy. Running alongside has been a parallel development—a "drift" toward a greater receptivity to genetic explanations for an increasing variety of human behaviors. These two developments are related only in that scientific advances in molecular genetics have nurtured a climate in which even the weakest "genetic" explanations can take root. The sociology of knowledge is a perspective that can help us better understand the social base and social location of this second tier of genetic claims.
