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It Ain't Necessarily So (Paperback)

by Richard C. Lewontin (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Granta Books; 2nd Revised edition edition (16 Oct 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1862074437
  • ISBN-13: 978-1862074439
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 58,741 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #50 in  Books > Science & Nature > Popular Science > Genetics
    #54 in  Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Genetics

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Leading geneticist Richard Lewontin's It Ain't Necessarily So: The Dream of the Human Genome and Other Illusions consists of a collection of essays written over a period of 17 years for the New York Review of Books dealing with various aspects of biology and human biology in particular. Lewontin discusses Darwin, Mendel, natural selection, heredity, and the current state of play in modern genetics while damning what he sees as widespread biological determinism from the sociobiology of the recent past to the current "vulgar Darwinism" of the present. IQ testing, and gene therapy, evolutionary psychology, and feminist notions of gendered knowledge all come under fire.

The title essay "The Dream of the Human Genome" is a review of nine major books up to 1992 and an attack on the Genomic "grail knights" that, in Lewontin's view, represent administrative and financial organisations rather than a promising research program. On this view the sequence of the human genome is not a trail leading to the Holy Grail, it will not reveal what it is to be human nor change our philosophical view of ourselves, nor, perhaps, will it translate into therapeutic techniques. Lewontin wants to arm the general public against the seductiveness of biological explanations which "often seem to smell of material reality even when they are equally speculative".

Lewontin is a working scientist who knows the importance of philosophy. He is also a superb essayist and this collection is a waffle-free, informative, unpretentious eye-opener. The book leaves you sceptical about the integrity of scientists and more circumspect about claims concerning the universal explanatory reach of biology. --Larry Brown --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



Review

'The sweep and scepticism of his arguments is always exhilarating and usually spot-on. This is a fine and important book, and a very necessary corrective to all sorts of popular fallacies.' Guardian; 'The painstakingly, highly accessible, but penetrating quality of his work is essential reading. Lewontin is one of the most sensible exponents in a field plagued by hype and hysteria.' Sunday Times; 'Lewontin...is a working biologist and a wonderfully stylish writer. If you read only one book on genetics this year, make sure it is this one.' The Times; 'It Ain't Necessarilly So is an elegantly written and lucidly argued critique of the myth that genes are fate. Lewontin is one of the great unsung figures of post-war science.' New Statesman; 'Few writers, and even fewer scientists, possess Lewontin's strength of vision, breadth of knowledge or stylistic poise.' New Statesman; 'A cool, impressive intelligence presides over It Ain't Necessarily So.' Daily Telegraph; 'Richard Lewontin...provides a valuable antidote to the current hyperbole surrounding the Genome Project.' Scotland on Sunday; '...brilliantly provocative essays on matters of the science industry and biology...written with an elegance that won't tolerate grandiose claims, but they're also the work of a practising scientist, He is the sensible, accessible, essential expert.' The Scotsman
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Which gene generated this book?, 24 Feb 2006
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
A collection of disparate essays is an elusive target for a reviewer. The range of topics here is wide and of varying quality. With essays ranging from IQ testing through the Darwinian revolution to the Human Genome Project and cloning, Lewontin is able to declaim his own expertise in whichever subject he approaches. As with most New York Review of Books authors, he's witty and cleverly subtle when assaulting those authors or ideas he's contesting; passionately assertive in support. When you've finished the review, however, you're often left with little foundation for deciding whether you should buy that particular book for yourself. The usual reaction is wishing to run out and find all the other sources he refers to for confirming information.

The only consistent theme in this compilation is that of the iconoclast. Chipping away at perceived flaws in other people is a Lewontin specialty. He has favoured targets, such as Richard Dawkins and Philip Rushton, are frequently mentioned. A glaring omission, particularly in the updating Epilogue to "Darwin's Revolution", is that of Daniel C. Dennett's DARWIN'S DANGEROUS IDEA. Given Dennett's scathing critique of The Spandrels of San Marco, co-authored by Lewontin and Stephen Gould, the oversight surprises.

The most engaging sections of the book are essays on the Human Genome Project, genetics and cloning. In an effort to undercut scientists like E.O. Wilson or Richard Dawkins, Lewontin attempts to restrict DNA's role to 'the stupid molecule' it was once considered. Using every verbal trick available, he writes a lawyer's brief against the Project and its supporters. Stripping away nearly every function DNA performs and removing it from its environment, he leaves the reader wondering if 'the stupid molecule' is worth the funding. Like many others, Lewontin knows The Human Genome Project isn't a scientific enterprise, but a business one. He's correct in that assessment, but his hidden agenda remains shrouded. Lewontin is terrified that once the genome has been mapped and better understood, this Agassiz Research Professor will discover that human beings aren't the divinely placed species he and many others would like us to be. Because he can think about so many esoteric subjects and salamanders can't [or at least can't express those thoughts], it follows that we're elevated above the other animals instead of simply different. Lewontin is a tenured human and demotion holds no appeal. He's not alone in that, which is why his books sell.

The book needs an index. There are simply too many topics and names running through this collection for either Lewontin nor The New York Review to be excused for this lack. In a time of electronic word processing the omission is unforgivable. A bibliography of recommended readings would also be a benefit. If he took the trouble to update his opinions, he could have helped the reader along with supporting information. Not an approach one would admire in an academic. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

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