Biology as Ideology: The Doctrine of DNA

by Richard C. Lewontin

Book Overview

Following in the fashion of Stephen Jay Gould and Peter Medawar, one of the world's leading scientists examines how pure science is in fact shaped and guided by social and political needs and assumptions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060975199
• ISBN13: 9780060975197
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The Doctrine of DNA

Despite some shortcomings, I was thoroughly impressed by this book that I read it two times in a row. I also chose to base a school project on it. I am quite convinced that "Biology as Ideology" might actually have been one of the most important books of the previous century (Yes, I mentioned this in my project). And although it is atypical of me to comment on other people's reviews, some things just warrant correction. Contrary to what one reviewer said, Lewontin never once suggests that "there is no such thing as race" in this book. And although Lewontin has a thing or to two to say about reductionism - - he does not completely resent it. He talks about an ideal view "that sees the entire world neither as an indissoluble whole, or as isolated bits and pieces". It's easy to miss this message because Lewontin does tend to have a propensity for veering off-topic once in a while. I also don't think that it's far-fetched at all to call Lewontin a Marxist. Although he only mentions Karl Marx once in this book, most of his views on society strongly cohere with Marx's. In our world today, any product of science is claimed and treated as a universal truth. Lewontin encourages the reader not to be mystified by science (don't just leave it to the experts!) And science has never been as "objective" and "nonpolitical" as it claims because it's a product of society. Scientists will view nature through lens molded by social experience. I thought it daring (and brave) that Lewontin - a luminary in the study of genetics today - should question Darwin's "natural selection", and see more sense in Lamarck's inheritance of acquired characteristics. This book is good because it makes you observe the other side of things. It makes you think. Perhaps the most excellent point made by Lewontin in his book is that of biological determinism as a way of social legitimization. Biological determinism has been used to explain and justify the inequalities within and between societies and to claim that those inequalities can never be changed. We are being taught that there is genetic differentiation between racial groups in characteristics such as behavior, temperament, and intelligence. We are also being taught that people's genes are connected to things like unemployment, eroticism, dominance, poverty, and homelessness. It really getting ridiculous! There is too much power being blunderingly put on the DNA molecule. I however, disagree with Lewontin that the genome project was a waste of time and billions. It has helped not only consolidate the theory of evolution...but it has also helped in areas like systematics, phylogeny, and taxonomy. Another shortcoming is that Lewontin's book is more than a decade old - many discoveries and advancements have occurred since then in molecular genetics.

My Genes Made Me Do It

Author Lewontin, a Harvard geneticist, presents his case against biological determinism, and for a form of social constructionism. Don't stop reading this review if the first sentence caused your eyes to glaze over. You don't need to understand those terms. RCL is simply saying that our social environment is more important than our genetic structure. And, no, this book is not about Marxist ideas as one reviewer wrote. One is not a marxist because one supports environmental affects on society. He is not spouting Marxism when he suggests that society is responsible for many diseases, and not microbes. Tuberculosis had greatly declined by the early twentieth century, not because of vaccination, but because living conditions and nutrition had improved. The ultimate cause of some cancers is not so much the proximate cause of pollution, but the society that has decided that pollution in the air is acceptable in furthering our society. Our society is not based on the total genetic activity of its members. First of all there aren't enough genes to begin to determine the billions of circuits in the brain, many of which aren't constructed until after birth. We become individuals in a society. The two most common ways in which children are similar to their parents relate to religion and politics. Are we then to say that there is a Baptist gene, or a Republican gene? Lewontin believes that the genome project(s) will not fulfill the promises currently being made. His social constructionist beliefs (that science is culturally determined) must be given some credence when he states that no prominent geneticist of his acquaintance is free of a financial interest in these projects. We also cannot assume that mapping the genome of an individual will result in a set of genes that we can accept as a normal reference. You, the reader, and I may be very normal human beings, but our genes differ by about 3 million nucleotides. The author also states that organisms create their environment; they do not react passively to their surroundings. There is no such thing as a environmental balance he says. 99.99% of all beings that existed are now extinct. The environment has always been in a state of continual flux. He points out that many organisms have had a negative effect on the environment. The beaver, for example, is notorious for its destruction of its surroundings.A very thought provoking book. I read it through twice which was easy to do because of its 128 page length. You do not need to accept all of his ideas, but he sure stimulates your neurons to form some new connections.

Biology As Ideology : The Doctrine of DNA

This book will cause you to think in new ways, even if you don't agree with the author. Lewontin's main point is that despite the fact we think science is an objective discipline, its questions topics considered worth researching are in fact biased by the culture in which we live. It's an interesting concept to ponder for those interested in philosophy, science, or the philosophy of science.

the politics of biology

The chief thing that this book revealed is how deeply and dishonestly political much of the so-called present day research into such glamor- and profit-making areas as the genome project really is. The book is only a sketch because of the format : scripts for radio broadcasts, but Lewontin manages to provide for non-scentists like myself a series of wonderful insights into the way that social, cultural and much more important, political forces shape the conduct of that research. The science students at the college where I taught for 30 years know very little about all this, and yet it is crucial. The political values have become domesticate and are all but invisible. And if Lewontin is wrong it is imporetant for students to understand why. There is a distinction between honest science, to which neither the author nor I have any objection. What needs to be pointed out is all the self-serving humbug from the pharmaceutical companies (with the aid of government agencies) use to achieve their ends. Lewontin does that. The wonder is that he is so mild about it. It is one of the most disturbing symptoms of rampant capitalism and it needs to questioned at every turn. His account of the complexity of genome research and of the impossibility of finding THE genetic cause for such things as cancer and (lord help us!) "aggresssion" is very judiciously argued. A really splendid introduction to an important topic.

Sharpen your understanding of modern genetics research

If you are looking for a clear and critical overview of modern genetics research, one which cuts through all the hype and misinformation, then read this book. Lewontin, a Harvard University geneticist and skeptic, has collated six of his radio lectures given to increase public understanding of what research programmes like the Human Genome Project really mean. The Genome Project is a vast undertaking which aims to map every single gene in the human body. Claims, even by the experts, about what this will mean for humanity have been superlative to say the least. Medicine will essentially cease to exist since it will be far better to fix the gene causing a disorder than to prescribe drugs for it. Currently incurable diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, Huntington's and almost any other you care to mention will become curable. Cosmetic gene-replacement therapy for poor eye sight, hearing loss, and baldness are possible, and even social problems such as violent crime, alcoholism, and anti-social behaviour can be treated just as soon as we localise the relevant genes - or so the story goes. Lewontin dispels two myths central to the Human Genome Project and the gene-replacement paradigm. First the relationship between genes and disease is just not that simple, and second, there is no evidence whatever that every human ill has a corresponding gene or set of genes anyway.The potential of the Human Genome Project to better our lives is substantial, but it is certainly no panacea. We must be aware of the risks and limitations as well as the benefits of any new technology, especially one which acts directly on the genes which make us all who we are.