Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent account of how science can be subverted, 7 Jun 2002
By A Customer
Why does the theory of evolution matter? And what demonstrable evidence can
we point to that shows its mechanism operating within the life-span of a
living organism? Anyone who took high school biology in the latter half of
the 20th century is familiar with the photos of moths that "prove" the
adaptive changes at work in this species, favoring the survival of black
moths in industrially polluted England and the increased predation suffered
by their lighter-hued cousins. The research, the experiments, and the
resultant glory were centered around a tiny group of scientists at Oxford;
the theoretical geneticist at the heart of the endeavor was E.B Ford, the
field experimenter was Bernard Kettlewell. Until quite recently their
evidence, and their theories, have gone unchallenged, but lately there has
been a significant shift in the paradigm of adaptive evolution that they held
sacred. Moreover, many of their experimetnal techniques, data, and
conclusions have come under serious question by a new generation of sci
entists.In her engrossing book, OF MOTHS AND MEN, Judith Hooper revisits the story of
the theory of evolution, from Darwin's masterful insight to later refinements
and controversies around the basic assumptions. This in itself is no small
accomplishment, and her narrative is both lucid and compelling, but this is
really just the necessary background to her real tale. Next she paints a
masterful portrait of the handful of scientists at Oxford who set out to
illustrate adaptive mechanisms once and for all from nature; not
coincidentally, she gives us an incisive view of intellectual life at the
pinnacle of the biological sciences establishment in mid-century England. And
finally, she shows us how the experimental model that was so widely accepted
(and so ubiquitously illustrated by all those photos of moths in textbooks)
began to unravel. By the time she's done, we understand the stakes involved
in keeping intact the "proof" underlying one of the principal tenets of the
modern view of the world, and the tenacity, ambition, and intrigue of the
major players. Along the way Hooper manages to keep clear to the reader, miraculously
enough, all the science and personalities and facts and sequences. Make no
mistake, the story is complex, but Hooper manages to keep it from being
confusing. You don't read this five pages at a time before dropping off to
sleep, but once you understand the fundamental issues involved, it's very
hard to put down. This book works on many different levels: a real pot-boiler, full of venality
and small-mindedness on all sides; a clear and thoughtful exposition of the
central principles behind the oh-so-short field of evolutionary biology; a
look at the sometimes whacky world of "moth people" (mostly men, as it
happens); and a textbook example of how, when you're dealing with human
beings, even on the frontiers of science, black-and-white usually refine
themselves into shades of grey as complex motives and loopy behavior keep
things chaotic. And, in between the lines, it's a strange and occasionally
hilarious history of the recent past and of how many pieces of social
quirkiness have (mercifully) fallen out of the puzzle. (For instance, we are
given the almost surreal image of the departmental secretary at Oxford having
to work in a shed in the garden, and having to go to the warmer moth shed
just to answer the phone... ) Hooper has a wonderful gift for mordant understatement combined with serious
questions that lets the reader discover the importance of the matters at hand
without her ever having to talk down. Quite an accomplishment when you're
juggling so many weighty facts, competing theories, and weird personalities.
And of course I have my own favorites among her gems: "...(W)as 'Darwin's
missing evidence' just an empty demonstration, a red-faced wino in a Santa
suit?"; "It might be said that the birds in Tinbergen's famous film were like
conventioneers gorging on roast beef and shrimp and leaving the aspic and
stewed cabbages for later." My wife had to shut me up for out-loud laughing
more than once. Hooper avoids facile conclusions about intentions, preferring to suggest
motives and practical constraints rather than see villains and heroes.
Virtually none of her real-life characters come across as anything other than human, which is to say flawed, in various degrees, and therefore fascinating.
I hope this will be a great cross-over book, a look at why science and a
search for the truth matter, and why human foibles will always skew results.
It should be a textbook, too: History of Science; Philosophy of Science;
Ethics; and plain old Biology -- why not? Highly recommended.
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Sensationalist lies, 15 April 2008
One has to be wary of the popular science genre. Often books are written by those who do not understand the concepts they are writing about, others make sensationalist claims based on flimsy evidence. Unfortunately, Hooper manages to do both.
Hooper's thesis is that Bernard Kettlewell committed scientific fraud in his experiments involving bird predation on the melanic and non-melanic morphs of the peppered moth. Unfortunately for her, there is no evidence that he did. Her thesis begins to fall apart when one considers that Kettlewell could not have received the letter from Ford telling him to "obtain better data". Furthermore, as Kettlewell's recapture rates are entirely consistent with his release rates.
Neither does it alter the observed fact that evolution in the peppered moth occurred. And that differential bird predation on the different morphs remains the most likely cause of their evolution, as agreed by researchers in the field, such as Mike Majerus.
In pushing her thesis forwards, Hooper panders particularly to creationists, who no doubt represent a nice demographic in which the publisher and author can make a sales killing. They will buy this book anyway, but for those not so inclined and who want a proper review, see Melanism: Evolution in Action by Majerus.
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7 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent account of how science can be subverted., 5 Jun 2002
By A Customer
Why does the theory of evolution matter? And what demonstrable evidence can we point to that shows its mechanism operating within the life-span of a living organism? Anyone who took high school biology in the latter half of the 20th century is familiar with the photos of moths that "prove" the adaptive changes at work in this species, favoring the survival of black moths in industrially polluted England and the increased predation suffered by their lighter-hued cousins. The research, the experiments, and the resultant glory were centered around a tiny group of scientists at Oxford; the theoretical geneticist at the heart of the endeavor was E.B Ford, the field experimenter was Bernard Kettlewell. Until quite recently their evidence, and their theories, have gone unchallenged, but lately there has been a significant shift in the paradigm of adaptive evolution that they held sacred. Moreover, many of their experimetnal techniques, data, and conclusions have come under serious question by a new generation of scientists.In her engrossing book, OF MOTHS AND MEN, Judith Hooper revisits the story of the theory of evolution, from Darwin's masterful insight to later refinements and controversies around the basic assumptions. This in itself is no small accomplishment, and her narrative is both lucid and compelling, but this is really just the necessary background to her real tale. Next she paints a masterful portrait of the handful of scientists at Oxford who set out to illustrate adaptive mechanisms once and for all from nature; not coincidentally, she gives us an incisive view of intellectual life at the pinnacle of the biological sciences establishment in mid-century England. And finally, she shows us how the experimental model that was so widely accepted (and so ubiquitously illustrated by all those photos of moths in textbooks) began to unravel. By the time she's done, we understand the stakes involved in keeping intact the "proof" underlying one of the principal tenets of the modern view of the world, and the tenacity, ambition, and intrigue of the major players. Along the way Hooper manages to keep clear to the reader, miraculously enough, all the science and personalities and facts and sequences. Make no mistake, the story is complex, but Hooper manages to keep it from being confusing. You don't read this five pages at a time before dropping off to sleep, but once you understand the fundamental issues involved, it's very hard to put down. This book works on many different levels: a real pot-boiler, full of venality and small-mindedness on all sides; a clear and thoughtful exposition of the central principles behind the oh-so-short field of evolutionary biology; a look at the sometimes whacky world of "moth people" (mostly men, as it happens); and a textbook example of how, when you're dealing with human beings, even on the frontiers of science, black-and-white usually refine themselves into shades of grey as complex motives and loopy behavior keep things chaotic. And, in between the lines, it's a strange and occasionally hilarious history of the recent past and of how many pieces of social quirkiness have (mercifully) fallen out of the puzzle. (For instance, we are given the almost surreal image of the departmental secretary at Oxford having to work in a shed in the garden, and having to go to the warmer moth shed just to answer the phone... ) Hooper has a wonderful gift for mordant understatement combined with serious questions that lets the reader discover the importance of the matters at hand without her ever having to talk down. Quite an accomplishment when you're juggling so many weighty facts, competing theories, and weird personalities. And of course I have my own favorites among her gems: "...(W)as 'Darwin's missing evidence' just an empty demonstration, a red-faced wino in a Santa suit?"; "It might be said that the birds in Tinbergen's famous film were like conventioneers gorging on roast beef and shrimp and leaving the aspic and stewed cabbages for later." My wife had to shut me up for out-loud laughing more than once. Hooper avoids facile conclusions about intentions, preferring to suggest motives and practical constraints rather than see villains and heroes. Virtually none of her real-life characters come across as anything other than human, which is to say flawed, in various degrees, and therefore fascinating. I hope this will be a great cross-over book, a look at why science and a search for the truth matter, and why human foibles will always skew results. It should be a textbook, too: History of Science; Philosophy of Science; Ethics; and plain old Biology -- why not? Highly recommended.
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by Trustees of the Mass Observation Archives
by Haruki Murakami
by Seamus Heaney
by Richard Dawkins
by Richard Dawkins
