This ground-breaking book explores the issues raised in the modern fields of genetic research and biotechnology. The author primarily examines these from an ontological rather than an ethical/political standpoint. The book examines the two great revolutions in genetics in the last century — the development of classical Mendelian theory and the discovery of and research into DNA — and the respective technologies generated by these fundamental discoveries. The book's approach enables the author to cast light on the current problems in the field of genetics and biotechnology.