Genetics and identity

For the last 20 years the concepts of identity and identification have been subject to much interest in the humanities and social sciences. However, the implications of genetics for identity and identification have been largely neglected. In this paper, I distinguish various conceptions of identity (as continuity over time, as basic kind of being, as unique set of properties, and as social role) and identification (as subjective experience of identity in various senses and as social ascription of identity in various senses), and investigate systematically genetic perspectives on each of these conceptions. I stress the importance of taking the genetic perspectives seriously but also their limitations. In particular, I pinpoint conceptual problems that arise when a genetic approach to identity is adopted. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.