The Dialectical Biologist

by Richard C. Lewontin, Richard Levins, Richard Levins & Richards Lewontin

Book Overview

Scientists act within a social context and from a philosophical perspective that is inherently political. Whether they realize it or not, scientists always choose sides. "The Dialectical Biologist"... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067420283X
• Release Date: March 1987
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Rethinking how modern science is done

In THE DIALECTICAL BIOLOGIST, Levins and Lewontin take a Marxist dialectical approach to examine the way and shape of contemporary biology. Not that I fully understand this approach, it does raise some intriguing critiques about the influence of the biotech-industrial complex and how groupthink and intertia of academia enforces dogma. I particularly liked the "Isadore Nabi" piece and the essay on agri-business.As a working scientist, I think it is important to think and rethink the Big Picture of why and how we do what we do. THE DIALECTICAL BIOLOGIST addresses a few particular questions of ways of modern biology.NB: similar themes are covered in DOING SCIENCE: THE REALITY CLUB #2, edited by John Brockman.

One of the most great books in today's biology

This book represents one of the most complete pictures of biology and its perspectives. A book where science and philosophy play an interesting dialog. For the reader it will be an interesting approach to an interesting point of view: science is not merely theories, hypothesis, facts, but a delicate an sometimes not so delicated conjunction of social structures, background ideologies and scientific method. Personally, the book represents a general exposition of ideas from scientists with a coherent line of thought. In its moment controversial... and now, simply, one of the ways to do our labours of scientists, may be the best one...