Biology Under the Influence: Dialectical Essays on the Coevolution of Nature and Society

How do we understand the world? While some look to the heavensfor intelligent design, others argue that it is determined byinformation encoded in DNA. Science serves as an important activityfor uncovering the processes and operations of nature, but it isalso immersed in a social context where ideology influences thequestions we ask and how we approach the material world.Biology Under the Influence: Dialectical Essays on theCoevolution of Nature and Society breaks from the confirmsof determinism, offering a dialectical analysis for comprehending adynamic social and natural world.In Biology Under the Influence, RichardLewontin and Richard Levins provide a devastating critique ofgenetic determinism and reductionism within science while exploringa broad range of issues including the nature of science, biology,evolution, the environment, pubic health, and dialectics, Theydismantle the ideology that attempts to naturalize socialinequalities, unveil the alienation of science and nature, andillustrate how a dialectical position serves as a basis forgrappling with historical developments and a world characterized bychange. Biology Under the Influence bringstogether the illuminating essays of two prominent scientists whowork to demystify and empower the public's understanding of scienceand nature.