杏吧原创

If there鈥檚 a theme to Mary Midgeley鈥檚 current science reading it is
鈥渋nterdependence鈥�. She is reading Evelyn Fox Keller鈥檚 The Century of the
Gene (Harvard University Press, 2000) and Tom Wakeford鈥檚 Liaisons of
Life (Wiley, 2001)
(reviewed 26 May), which both take a shot at the
reductionist 鈥渟elfish gene鈥� model of evolution. Wakeford鈥檚 鈥渆xtremely helpful鈥�
book demonstrates the crucial role of microbes in the development of other
species, while Keller shows how outdated is much of our thinking on the nature
of heredity. She keeps coming back to her well thumbed copy of The Varieties
of Religious Experience by William James (Touchstone, 1997) for its
psychological examination of spirituality and the part religion plays in
people鈥檚 everyday lives. Even Midgeley鈥檚 lighter reading has a scientific
flavour. The protagonists in David Lodge鈥檚 Thinks . . . (Viking, 2001)
spend much of the book comparing the value of literature鈥檚 depictions of
consciousness with science鈥檚 more material approach.