The Nature of Life
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1961
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 120 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Nature of LifeAtheneumThe short American edition, which is the text reprinted in the Great Books set.
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A short book of lectures by a British embryologist and geneticist on what biology had learned by 1960 and what it still could not explain. Waddington sets out the new molecular account of the gene and of heredity, then argues that it is not enough on its own: what needs explaining is development, the way a fertilised egg builds an organism, and the way an organism as a whole meets its environment. He introduces his own ideas of the epigenetic landscape and canalisation, discusses evolution as a system with several feedback loops rather than one, and closes on mind, human society and the place of values in a scientific picture of life.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Nature of Life are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
