An evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and social commentator, this author was instrumental in developing the mathematical foundations of population genetics and evolutionary theory. Their work delves into profound questions about life, evolution, and human nature, with an influence that extends far beyond the scientific realm.
The author team welcomes a new coauthor, Sean B. Carroll, a recognized leader in the field of evolutionary development, to this new edition of Introduction to Genetic Analysis (IGA). The authors’ ambitious new plans for this edition focus on showing how genetics is practiced today. In particular, the new edition renews its emphasis on how genetic analysis can be a powerful tool for answering biological questions of all types.
Richard Lewontin, a prominent evolutionary biologist and critic, combines his scientific insights with his critical perspective in this concise and accessible account of biology's relevance to human affairs. He addresses common misconceptions that hinder our understanding of biology and evolution, emphasizing that genes, organisms, and environments should not be viewed as separate entities. Instead, he illustrates that an organism is the result of both genetic and environmental influences, rejecting the idea that genes solely determine an organism's traits. Lewontin argues that organisms, shaped by their circumstances, actively create, modify, and choose their environments. This work is a brilliant, passionate critique that serves as a primer on the complexities of biological processes, reminding us that living things are far more intricate than they appear. It does not propose a radical new methodology or theory but rather encourages a deeper appreciation of the interconnectedness of biological factors.
This book, the latest in the continuing debate between the genetic reductionists (such as Richard Dawkins, John Maynard Smith and E.O. Wilson) and those who argue for a rather more complex relationship between genes and the environment (such as Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Rose and Niles Eldredge). Lewontin is a forceful writer and this is an effective statement of the case against the selfish gene.
