Biology as Ideology: The Theory of DNA Author: RC Lewontin Original title: Biology as Ideology

"Modern People's Small Book Series"

A minimalist civics lesson from a global thought leader

Guide critical thinking and explore the good life of modern people

◆ “Don’t leave science to experts, don’t be confused by science,

It’s about seeking a complex scientific understanding that everyone can share.”

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【Content Introduction】

With the discovery and in-depth research of DNA, genetics has gradually entered the public eye, and the Human Genome Project has opened a new era of life sciences. Different schools of biology have different opinions on the impact of genes on humans: genes constitute individuals, human nature is encoded by genes, genes constitute culture and society, and determine whether an individual is rich or poor and whether a nation is warlike... This book is the response of world-renowned geneticist RC Lewontin to these views.

Based on biology, Lewontin critically interprets contemporary science, ideology and other issues. He uses Darwin's theory of biological evolution, Sherlock Holmes's "Memory Attic", IQ tests, hybrid corn and other interesting examples to comprehensively analyze the "triple helix" of genes, organisms and environment, dismantle the myth of "pure biological science" and warn the public to always be vigilant against science and experts.

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【Recommended by media/scholars】

Lewontin was an outstanding scientist, and as this book shows, his work is some of the finest in the field of genetics.

——[US] Stephen Jay Gould, famous paleontologist and popular science writer

This book presents its subject matter in a straightforward and accessible way, continuing the tradition of scientific skepticism.

——Independent Science News

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【Editor's recommendation】

1. The author of this book, RC Lewontin, is a world-renowned population geneticist who pioneered the introduction of molecular tools into biology. He is also a highly critical thinker who has been writing for The New York Review of Books for many years and has written a large number of easy-to-understand popular science articles for the public. He insists on opposing genetic determinism and the idea that science is "pure", and opposes the use of science to rationalize structural inequality. He has won the Sewall Wright Award of the American Society of Naturalists and the Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which is as famous as the Nobel Prize.

2. With the further understanding of DNA, people are more and more concerned about topics related to genes. Did genes determine our IQ and achievements long before we were born? How should we understand the irrationality of genetic determinism? The book contains reflections and criticisms on Edward O. Wilson's "Sociobiology", the pioneering work of sociobiology. As a frontline expert, the author challenges the scientific and philosophical foundations of his own research field and its social, cultural and political consequences, and uses clear language to dismantle the myth of a "pure biological science", which can be seen as a response to the hot debate on genetics in recent years.

3. Can IQ tests truly reflect IQ? What would happen if farmers stopped growing hybrid corn and started growing purebred corn? Why do minors dislike eating spinach while adults do? Can the Lilliputian country in Gulliver's Travels exist in reality? The book is full of interesting topics like these, which are both informative and entertaining.

4. Lewontin foresaw some long-term social issues, and the topics discussed in this book are timeless and still relevant today, and can resonate with readers.

About the Author · · · · · ·