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Shallow versus deep genetic causes.

Adam C Smith¹, Stephen M Downes¹

¹Philosophy Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA adam.c.smith@utah.edu; s.downes@utah.edu.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences

|September 11, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Madole & Harden's shallow versus deep genetic causes distinction can clarify genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, GWASs only identify shallow genetic causes, similar to environmental studies, and their distinction may apply better to explanations than causes.

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Area of Science:

Genetics
Philosophy of Science

Background:

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are increasingly used to identify genetic variants associated with traits.
Causal claims derived from GWASs face challenges in interpretation, particularly regarding the depth of genetic causation.
Madole & Harden proposed a distinction between shallow and deep genetic causes to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the utility of Madole & Harden's shallow versus deep genetic causes distinction for interpreting GWAS findings.
To assess whether GWASs are limited to identifying only shallow genetic causes.
To determine if the proposed distinction is more applicable to causal explanations or causes themselves.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of Madole & Harden's distinction.
Critical examination of the implications of this distinction for GWAS methodology.
Philosophical assessment of the application of the distinction to genetic causes and explanations.

Main Results:

The shallow versus deep genetic causes distinction offers potential clarity for causal claims in GWASs.
GWASs are argued to primarily identify shallow genetic causes, limiting their ability to supplant environmental studies.
The distinction's applicability may be stronger for explanations than for causes.

Conclusions:

The distinction provides a useful framework for discussing the nature of genetic causation identified by GWASs.
Limitations exist in using GWASs for deep causal understanding, highlighting the continued relevance of other research methods.
Further philosophical inquiry is needed to refine the application of the shallow/deep causes distinction in genetics.