The Social Meaning of Modern Biology analyzes the cultural
significance of recurring attempts since the time of Darwin to
extract social and moral guidance from the teachings of modern
biology. Such efforts are often dismissed as ideological defenses
of the social status quo, of the sort wrongly associated with
nineteenth-century social Darwinism. Howard Kaye argues they are
more properly viewed as culturally radical attempts to redefine who
we are by nature and thus rethink how we should live. Despite the
scientific and philosophical weaknesses of arguments that "biology
is destiny," and their dehumanizing potential, in recent years they
have proven to be powerfully attractive. They will continue to be
so in an age enthralled by genetic explanations of human experience
and excited by the prospect of its biological control.
In the ten years since the original edition of The Social
Meaning of Modern Biology was published, changes in both science
and society have altered the terms of debate over the nature of man
and human culture. Kaye's epilogue thoroughly examines these
changes. He discusses the remarkable growth of ethology and
sociobiology in their study of animal and human behavior and the
stunning progress achieved in neuropsychology and behavioral
genetics. These developments may appear to bring us closer to
long-sought explanations of our physical, mental, and behavioral
"machinery." Yet, as Kaye demonstrates, attempts to use such
explanations to unify the natural and social sciences are mired in
self-contradictory accounts of human freedom and moral choice. The
Social Meaning of Modern Biology remains a significant study in the
field of sociobiology and is essential reading for sociologists,
biologists, behavioral geneticists, and psychologists.
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