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The elusive nature of his writing (at least the essays) and their wide breadth of human knowledge make it difficult to choose "favorites" much less "the best". My Grade = A His fights with the deterministic brand of Evolutionists is legendary and yet he emerged in a stronger position politically if not scientifically. But that's always been the "problem" with attempting to classify Gould's writing. Throughout he stresses excellence, the non-progressivity of Evolution, the idea that morality was NOT simply a biological outcome and that choices are what drives human society.
I just completed "I Have Landed", Gould's last compilation of essays and it is indeed one of the best. The second level is how it relates to natural history. Gould was an iconoclast who reveled in his deviltry. For sheer bravura, nothing could beat "Of Embryos and Ancestors" where he ranges from early life on Earth to the nature of fossils to the unbroken lineage of life on Earth while keeping us entertained with tales of Scientific infighting and pure chance resulting in spectacular discoveries. I am just getting around to several works that have rested on my shelves, unreviewed since first read.
First of all, the essay must be two levels - the first (the "catch") is the particular story, moral, fact or tale that serves as the germ of the essay. Therefore I loved the section on the French scientists, particularly his take on Lamarckism.
Certain mental diseases, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, have obvious genetic components. Given the current state of the planet we had better hope that we can rise above the pre-civilized part of our brains and alter our collective behavior- otherwise we are dead as a species. There are almost no modern scientists (as Gould points out) who would deny genetic influence on behavior. Essays on the difficulties of predicting the future of technology, the contributions of Lamark, the career of the great French naturalist Buffon, and how vulva stones became brachiopods (they always were of course)., are also among those in this collection.This book is well worth the reading, despite the digressions.
What makes us human is exactly that plasticity. Whether you agree with him or not, he is always thought provoking."The Lying Stones of Marrakech" is no exception. These and other fascinating (and often obscure) biological issues are grist for Gould's mill. Now to be fair there are few proponents of evolutionary psychology or other biological determinist groups that would make such a statement (just as there are few total blank slate idealists, despite Stephan Pinker's views), but the ideas often expressed by such researchers make one wonder exactly where they are leading. He often goes on delightful side trips (a mark of a skillful writer, as such devices can be dangerous to an essay) and rarely (but occasionally) follows the wrong path. Another one of his series of books of essays from his column "This View of Life" in NATURAL HISTORY magazine, the essays deal with a number of fascinating biological subjects from fake fossils (the lying stones mentioned in the title) to measuring evolution in the real world. From the "killer ape" mentality to the "naturalness of rape" they often tread close to a position that man is not improvable and so why bother. Nor would they deny that we are an evolutionary product of our ancestors Pliocene and Pleistocene environments (and even earlier ones).
To follow his interest in the national sport he even throws in a few short pieces on baseball. Stephan Jay Gould was certainly one of the most prolific and interesting of modern essayists on evolutionary theory. While some editing might have made this book even better, it is still a very good read and certainly thought inspiring.Gould is often especially forceful in dealing with biological determinism, as in the (I think) false idea that we are totally what our genes make us. However, humans exhibit a remarkably plastic behavioral ability, which is also evolutionarily derived.
Not so with Gould's "penultimate reflections in Natural History," published in 2000, just two years before his death. Two factors make Gould's essays stand out from most science writing--the depth of his ideas and his unmatched ability to peel back layers of approximate understanding and convenient storytelling to get to what actually happened.
AdlerScience JournalistAuthor of Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation As a science writer, I'm awed as much by Gould's impeccable scholarship as by the quality and originality of his thinking.
Whether he's detailing the founding moments of palentology and geology or excavating Alfred Russel Wallace's forays into predicting the future, you know that you're going to get the real story, impeccably told, straight from the primary sources. The tales he tells reflect it as a richly human enterprise, groping its way forward despite misconceptions, hoaxes, and the personal quirks of its protagonists.This book is not a light or easy read, but it is a richly rewarding one.Robert E.
Collections of previously published essays are often disappointing. I found them entrancing (despite Gould's trademark parenthetical comments).
Gould is absolutely clear-eyed about the progress of science.
Here Gould ensures that his essays are relevant to current social issues. These essays are more readable (though Gould continues his love for parenthetical additions at least twice on every page). You might find yourself skimming the details of animal classifications to find the gems that remind us of major shifts in scientific thinking.The second three sections are written to a broader audience and start with obituaries of Carl Sagan, Mel Allen and Joe DiMaggio. nature argument; ways in which evolution is visible among living species; and competitive equilibrium in nature. The first three sections of this book have essays from the magazine Natural History about the history of "natural history." They are drier and of less general interest, covering people and issues in the development of the science. This certainly would not be the perfect introduction to the late Stephen Jay Gould's writing and research styles.Nonetheless, they are well-researched and written in Gould's loving detail for the accurate story, in contrast to the historical myth. In this latter half of the book, Gould covers subjects such as social Darwinism; Dolly (the cloned sheep) and the nurture vs.
better enlightened to a point of view which only Gould can provide. When reading this book you see in his writings a musing underlining his brilliant intelligence and scholarship with his signature wit becoming evident.In these twenty-three essays an erudite discussion comes to light from on of the most fertile minds of science today. which leaves one more to astonish us. His humanistic sensibility and passionate arguments are painstakingly historical. I highly recommend reading this brilliant collection of essays from a the most revered and eloquent author and educator of our times. We are educated.
But I'm sure that we will not see the end of writing from him. The Lying Stones of Marrakech by Stephen Jay Gould is an excellent read; written by one of the foremost original thinkers of our time. you are nerver left in doubt when reading Gould's prose. As with all good things, they must come to an end since this is the penultimate work of essays.
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