Summary
Richard Lewontin argues that science, particularly biology, functions as an ideology that reflects and reinforces societal values and structures, rather than being a purely objective pursuit of knowledge. He contends that scientists, as social beings, view nature through a lens shaped by their experiences within family, state, and economic systems. This essay collection, originating from the 1990 CBC Radio Massey Lectures, examines the "false paths" modern scientific ideology has taken, suggesting that acknowledging science's limitations can lead to a richer appreciation of nature and a more realistic understanding of science's true value.
Key concepts
- Scientific Ideology — Science acting as a belief system that mirrors and supports dominant societal values and vices.
- Social Beings — Scientists not as detached observers but as individuals shaped by their societal immersion.
- Limitations of Science — The acknowledgment that scientific knowledge has boundaries and is not absolute truth.
- Richness of Nature — The idea that by understanding science's limitations, one can better perceive the complexity and depth of the natural world.
From the book
Description: R. C. Lewontin is a prominent scientist — a geneticist who teaches at Harvard — yet he believes that we have placed science on a pedestal, treating it as an objective body of knowledge that transcends all other ways of knowing and all other endeavours. Lewontin writes in this collection of essays, which began their life as CBC Radio's Massey Lectures Series for 1990: "Scientists do not begin life as scientists, after all, but as social beings immersed in a family, a state, a productive structure, and they view nature through a lens that has been molded by their social experience. . . . Science, like the Church before it, is a supremely social institution, reflecting and reinforcing the dominant values and vices of society at each historical epoch." In Biology as…
Snippet: Lewontin writes in this collection of essays, which began their life as CBC Radio's Massey Lectures Series for 1990: "Scientists do not begin life as scientists, after all, but as social beings immersed in a family, a state, a productive ...