Richard Lewontin argues that the prevailing misconception in modern biology, particularly genetics, is the reductive error of confusing an organism's genetic state with its complete physical and psychological nature. He criticizes the tendency to seek biological explanations for all aspects of human life, from individual behavior to societal problems, by overreaching scientific claims, especially concerning the Human Genome Project.
Through nine essays covering biology from Darwin to cloning, Lewontin offers lucid expositions of scientific knowledge, highlighting what is known and unknown. He examines topics like heredity, natural selection, evolutionary psychology, altruism, and sex surveys, demystifying these subjects and challenging the notion that biology alone holds all the answers to our physical, mental, and social lives.
Key concepts
- Reductive misconception — The error of equating an organism's genetic makeup with its total physical and psychological nature.
- Human Genome Project — A scientific undertaking whose promise Lewontin questions regarding its ability to solve all physiological and psychological afflictions.
- Evolutionary psychology — A field Lewontin scrutinizes for its tendency to offer biological explanations for human behavior and social life.
- Cloning — A subject Lewontin discusses in his critical examination of modern biology's overreaching claims.
- Genetically modified food — A topic addressed in new essays in the second edition, reflecting Lewontin's engagement with current controversial life science issues.