Genetics and the Manipulation of Life: The Forgotten Factor of Context

Because it is so filled with philosophical quotes - from Hegel, Emerson, Alfred North Whitehead, etc. - one might be tempted to think that in Genetics and the Manipulation of Life: The Forgotten Factor of Context, Craig Holdrege is theorizing about science as a discipline from a postmodern viewpoint. Nothing could be further from the truth. Holdrege is in debt to a decidedly earlier philosopher and scientist, Goethe, whose method he imitates, and whom he quotes freely and happily. "If we want to reach a living perception of nature," Goethe wrote, "we must become as living and flexible as nature herself." (42) This sentiment is echoed later in Holdrege's own words, which conclude the book: "A contextual approach is not to be looked at as yet another solidified doctrine or theory. Rather, it is a necessary complement to the prevailing conceptions and practices of contemporary science. It is a way of making science a healthier whole, modeled after the organisms it studies." (173) Both Goethe's and Holdrege's methods of science rely heavily on observation without jumping to conclusions. They advise letting conclusions emerge themselves from repeated observations. We should not try to fill that space between prior knowledge and the unknown with theory. Nature will fill the gaps itself if we are patient and careful in observation. This unpredictability in method thus follows the unpredictability of nature itself rather than attempting to control it, and so is likely to yield a better understanding of the natural world. In his book, Holdrege reveals how and why the history of the science of genetics is riddled with presumptuous conclusions. Holdrege's thrust is the condemnation of geneticists' collective dismissal of the natural context of organisms (including environment, but also behavior) in favor of what he refers to as "object-thinking", the seeing of isolated "things" rather than relationships. Holdrege is not content with typical reductionism-is-bad arguments, but instead provides real examples. A few exceptions to the genetic model of inheritance would be glaring - the wealth of examples he provides is damning. He shows this, at first, through botany. Silhouettes of leaf and flower and root structures are provided to show changes in plant development based on variations in soil and light conditions. The differences are striking and extreme. A dandelion grown in the woods, for example, is shown to have leaves well over four times the size than those of a dandelion which grows in the yard. "If we now imagine one of these plants producing seeds that are dispersed by the wind, we may correctly suppose that the offspring will develop according to the conditions in each different microhabitat. The seeds from the small-leafed plants will not develop into tiny forest-clearing plants; we find no such plants in forest clearings." (22) Given the ubiquity of dandelion seeds, this is, of course, no coincidence. Rather, the organis

This book challenges the current,generally favorable view of genetics "engineering" as presented in the popular media as well as science writing. Not that these researches should necessarily be abandoned, but they should be carried out in a manner more respectful of the processes nature already has in place. The author shows with clear examples the kind of decisions that are prompted by reductionist thinking in scientific circles. Holdrege shows that much of the public awareness of genetics is based on information that is given a positive spin by self-interested parties. Along the way, he exposes us to a different way of thinking about scientific endeavor; one that urges the consideration of every act as having possible ramifications in the broader environment. A good case is made that the genetics supporters are so enamored of their newfound knowledge that they have become overconfident and blinded to ethical considerations.The conclusion is that we should pay more attention to the formation of traits in the context of their interaction with the total organism, rather than seeking to manipulate them as though they existed in a vacuum. I found the ideas in this book easy to comprehend,yet profound. To get a balanced viewpoint I am also reading books by writers who favor genetic manipulation. So far, this book seems to me to contain much more earth-friendly and human-friendly ideas than others I am reading. I highly recommend this book for the clarity of the writing and its thought-provoking message.

In the past few years people outside of the academic pursuit of genetics have been fed terms like secret to life, code of life, and other central dogmas. Very misleading, very wrong. Holdrege does an excellent job of explaining why this is so in terms that is understandable to anyone. It may not spark a revival in Goethe's method but it will dispel the illusions cast by advertisment, the media, and science itself. A must buy for a philosopher, a scientist, or anyone looking to enlighten themselves above what CNN headlines feed you.