This ground-breaking book explores the issues raised in the modern fields of genetic research and biotechnology. As philosophers try to make sense of the issues, 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. It is also an exercise in the philosophy of technology. The book's ontological approach enables the author to cast light on the current, yet unresolved problems in the field of genetics and biotechnology, for example, those problems raised in connection with the patenting of biotechnological products. The book will prove fascinating for any reader with an interest in the exciting philosophical problems raised by science and technology.