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Overview
A distinct voice in the nature/nurture debate, Rose's series of essays are a response to the biological reductionism of Richard Dawkins's book, The Selfish Gene (OUP, 1990), which insists that all aspects of human life are in our genes, and everything arises as a consequence of natural selection. Rose argues that life depends on the elaborate web of interactions that occur within cells, organisms, and ecosystems, and in which DNA has but one part to play.
Synopsis
A distinct voice in the nature/nurture debate, Rose's series of essays are a response to the biological reductionism of Richard Dawkins's book, The Selfish Gene (OUP, 1990), which insists that all aspects of human life are in our genes, and everything arises as a consequence of natural selection. Rose argues that life depends on the elaborate web of interactions that occur within cells, organisms, and ecosystems, and in which DNA has but one part to play.
Library Journal
Rejecting genetic reductionism and biological determinism as adequate explanations in the life sciences, neuroscientist Rose argues that understanding and appreciating an organism (including humans) requires focusing on its unique lifeline, i.e., its developmental trajectory over space and throughout time. Going beyond the ultra-Darwinism of Richard Dawkins, Daniel C. Dennett, and Edward O. Wilson (among others), Rose emphasizes the creative interaction between any complex life form and its dynamic environment. He pays special attention to the origin of life, discoveries in genetics, and the application of universal Darwinism. Although a materialist, Rose stresses that the gene is neither the only nor the final key to comprehending the complexity and development of an organism. Therefore, he concludes that epistemological diversity is necessary to understand and appreciate the ontological unity of evolving nature. As an alternative viewpoint in modern biology, this book is recommended for all large natural history collections.H. James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.