Overview

"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."

Full Product Details

Author:   Howard Kaye
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Inc
Imprint:   Routledge
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.249kg
ISBN:  

9781560009146

ISBN 10:   1560009144
Pages:   218
Publication Date:   30 November 1996
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction; I: Social Darwinism and the Failure of the Darwinian Revolution; 2: From Metaphysics to Molecular Biology; 3: From Molecular Biology to Social Theory; 4: Sociobiology: The Natural Theology of E. O. Wilson; 5: The Popularization of Human Sociobiology; Conclusion; Epilogue

Reviews

A careful, analytical reading of major contemporary writings in the field of molecular biology and sociobiology. --Kenneth Bock, American Journal of Sociology

-A careful, analytical reading of major contemporary writings in the field of molecular biology and sociobiology.---Kenneth Bock, American Journal of Sociology -This is a remarkably intelligent and informative text.---Alan Costall, Biological Psychology -A lively and stimulating discussion of the problems surrounding the application of biological knowledge to social theory over the last century or so.---Eugene Cittadino, Journal of the History of Biology A careful, analytical reading of major contemporary writings in the field of molecular biology and sociobiology. --Kenneth Bock, American Journal of Sociology This is a remarkably intelligent and informative text. --Alan Costall, Biological Psychology A lively and stimulating discussion of the problems surrounding the application of biological knowledge to social theory over the last century or so. --Eugene Cittadino, Journal of the History of Biology A careful, analytical reading of major contemporary writings in the field of molecular biology and sociobiology. --Kenneth Bock, American Journal of Sociology This is a remarkably intelligent and informative text. --Alan Costall, Biological Psychology A lively and stimulating discussion of the problems surrounding the application of biological knowledge to social theory over the last century or so. --Eugene Cittadino, Journal of the History of Biology

A careful, analytical reading of major contemporary writings in the field of molecular biology and sociobiology. --Kenneth Bock, <em>American Journal of Sociology</em></p>

Author Information

Howard Kaye

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