BOOKS
Embryology, Epigenesis and Evolution: Taking Development Seriously by your friend and mine, JSRobert: NR
This is Jason's first book and an effort at pointing out the limitations of strict DNA->RNA->Proteins thinking. It's concise and very clear, and if you want an inkling of some of the stuff that philosophers of biology do, this is a great place to see it in action.
Drop City by T.C. Boyle: 60
A novel on commune living during the era when the hippy aesthetic was beginning to fade - covers a commune group as they have to pull up roots and move to Alaska where they find convening with nature none too, er, convenient. Good stuff, but there were some fairly one-dimensional / stereotypical characters and some rather stereotypical treatment of "the life."
Leviathan & The Air Pump by Shapin and Schaffer: NR
Another book for school, it's an undeniable classic and an example of a scholarly approach to answering questions of social construction in science. It covers the sort of methodological conflict between Hobbes and Boyle and reveals just how much of a political struggle th eintial conceptions of scientific knowledge were. Recommended, though there are some insanely detailed passages on the construction of Boyle's air pumps that probably don't require close reading.
The Social Construction of What by Ian Hacking: NR
Probably my favorite book from the fall semester; it's a great account of what social construction means and gives a slew of examples of the varieties of claims that certain social practices are "socially constructed." It's a great take, especially if you find the post-structuralist theories of social construction to be nonsensical - Hacking really hones in on what is meant by such phrases and when it is useful to consider social construction and when it is just flaptrap.
Sociobiology by E.O. Wilson: NR
Coffee table book from the mid 1970s about biological study of animal (including, controversially, man) behavior. This got the whole ball rolling, and while I agree that Wilson just flat out didn't claim a lot of the things he was accused of claiming, it seems ridiculous that one, he couldn't anticipate the critique, and 2, that he makes some of the sweeping statements he does in the absence of obvious evidence. This book is undoubtedly the grandfather of experiences like the one i had in class last Wednesday, so BLECH, but the work on animal behavior is top notch. Just don't mess with my Camus next time, eh?
Defenders of the Truth: The Sociobiology Debate by Ullica Segerstrale: NR
And this book chronicles, quite excellently, the debate surrounding Sociobiology. I used this as a starting point for my paper and highly enjoyed it; revealed how much of the conflict is rooted in alternate approaches to scientific inquiry rather than social beliefs.
Politics in the Laboratory: The Constitution of Human Genomics by Ira Carmen: NR
Horrifically dry book with some dubious ethical stances with regards to the purposes of understanding the human genome. Its thesis was also seriously buried, and as much as I like my obscurantist fiction, I'm not such a fan in Poli Sci books. Not recommended.
New York Trilogy by Paul Auster: 90
Post-modern detective noir, and superbly executed (for whatever that means. Sometimes I get the feeling I am coming up with long paragraph translations of the sentence "I liked it."). I remember feeling like I was reading pulp stories that just spun outside of themselves constantly -
Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences by Bowker and Starr: NR
Reasonably interesting book on the social aspects of taxonomy in various disciplines, focusing largely on the international designations of disease. I remember finding it UTTERLY WACK that they used Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain as a reference for the experience of tuberculosis. You know, it being fiction and all. I also remember a rather dense and the word of the day is obscurantist final chapter. Ah, well.
Why Men Won't Ask for Directions: The Seduction of Sociobiology by Richard Francis: NR
A book-length critique of EP that Jason, Maggie and I are reviewing. Skewers some of EPs more ridiculous claims and points out a slew of animal behaviors where EP-like thinking would lead you astray. So, um, don't bring it up in mixed, jackass company.
All Creatures: Naturalists, Collectors, and Biodiversity, 1850-1950 by Robert Kohler: NR
I had to give a talk on this, and so ended up reading it twice. Amazingly, I did not smash my head in with a miniature diorama twice, ugh. A whole lot of anecdotal accounts and quasi-historical explanations for trends. As I recall, it didn't really discuss all creatures, naturalists, collectors or biodiversity, and it stopped in 1930. Not recommended.
The Meaning of Fossils by Rudwick: NR
Historical account of paleontology which was more interesting than you might think.
Biology Under the Influence by Levins and Lewontin: NR
Another book that Jason and I are reviewing; it's a couple of notorious Marxists who carry a strong torch of social equality in the approach to science and think that biology should be treated as a dialectical enterprise. Enjoyable, but it's a collection of previous essays that was not heavily edited and as a consequence repeats some ideas. Still, some valid points are made in between the rhetorical chants.
The Challenger Launch Decision by Diane Vaughan: NR
A vastly more detailed than your average ABC News Special take on the procedures that led up to the Challenger disaster. I presented on this as well. Some of the presentation aspects were cool, and it is definitely more interesting to note the level of detail that the American public is routinely not exposed to. I am not sure if I buy some of her arguments, but it's a fairly landmark text that put the author in a position of great influence - she ended up sitting on the committee that investigated the next shuttle disaster. Interesting read, if you can stomach 400 pages of analysis of a tragedy.
Alright, that's it for this sitting. A few more books and some movies in the near future. Until then...
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