Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics in Biology
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Edited and with an Introduction by Oren Harman and Michael R. Dietrich and with an Epilogue by R.C. Lewontin
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Format: PaperPrice: $27.50
The stories of nineteen scientists--some famous, some forgotten--who stubbornly challenged assumptions and icons in the life sciences
This book is the first devoted to modern biology’s innovators and iconoclasts: men and women who challenged prevailing notions in their fields. Some of these scientists were Nobel Prize winners, some were considered cranks or gadflies, some were in fact wrong. The stories of these stubborn dissenters are individually fascinating. Taken together, they provide unparalleled insights into the role of dissent and controversy in science and especially the growth of biological thought over the past century.
Each of the book’s nineteen specially commissioned chapters offers a detailed portrait of the intellectual rebellion of a particular scientist working in a major area of biology--genetics, evolution, embryology, ecology, biochemistry, neurobiology, and virology as well as others. An introduction by the volume’s editors and an epilogue by R. C. Lewontin draw connections among the case studies and illuminate the nonconforming scientist’s crucial function of disturbing the comfort of those in the majority. By focusing on the dynamics and impact of dissent rather than on “winners” who are credited with scientific advances, the book presents a refreshingly original perspective on the history of the life sciences.
Scientists featured in this volume:
Alfred Russel Wallace
Hans Driesch
Wilhelm Johannsen
Raymond Arthur Dart
C. D. Darlington
Richard Goldschmidt
Barbara McClintock
Oswald T. Avery
Roger Sperry
Leon Croizat
Vero Copner Wynne-Edwards
Peter Mitchell
Howard Temin
Motoo Kimura
William D. Hamilton
Carl Woese
Stephen Jay Gould
Thelma Rowell
Daniel S. Simberloff
Oren Harman is associate professor, Graduate Program for Science, Technology and Society, Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies, Bar Ilan University, Israel. Michael R. Dietrich is professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College.
“Excellent history presented in well-written chapters and an innovative approach to the history of science—this volume makes an interesting read.”—Jane Maienschein, Arizona State University
“Readers will enjoy the opportunity to become acquainted with life scientists who made a difference and had an interesting life/career story. There is something for everybody in this volume.”—Everett Mendelsohn, Harvard University
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
32 b/w illus.
