The Evolution of Theodosius Dobzhansky (ebook)

Argumento de The Evolution of Theodosius Dobzhansky (ebook)

This volume not only offers an intellectual biography of one of the most important biologists and social thinkers of the twentieth century but also illuminates the development of evolutionary studies in Russia and in the West. Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975), a creator of the "evolutionary synthesis" and the author of its first modern statement, Genetics and the Origin of Species (1937), founded modern Western population genetics and wrote many popular books on such topics as human evolution, race and racism, equality, and human destiny. In this, the first book devoted to an analysis of the historical, scientific, and cultural dimensions of Dobzhansky's life and thought, an international group of historians, biologists, and philosophers addresses the full span of his career in Russia and the United States.

Beginning with the reminiscences of his daughter, Sophia Dobzhansky Coe, these essays cover Dobzhansky's Russian roots (Nikolai L. Krementsov, Daniel A. Alexandrov, Mikhail B. Konashev), the Morgan Lab (Garland E. Allen, William B. Provine, Robert E. Kohler, Richard M. Burian), his scientific legacy (Scott F. Gilbert, Bruce Wallace, Charles E. Taylor), and his social, political, philosophical, and religious thought (Costas B. Krimbas, John Beatty, Diane B. Paul, Michael Ruse).

Originally published in 1994.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.0Preface vii
Acknowledgments A
INTRODUCTION I
Introduction: Theodosius Dobzhansky in Russia and America Mark B. Adams 3
Theodosius Dobzhansky: A Family Story Sophia Dobzhansky Coe 13
PART ONE: RUSSIAN ROOTS 29
Dobzhansky and Russian Entomology: The Origin of His Ideas on Species and Speciation Nikolai L. Krementsov 31
Filipchenko and Dobzhansky: Issues in Evolutionary Genetics in the 1920S Daniel A. Alexandrov 49
From the Archives: Dobzhansky in Kiev and Leningrad Mikhail B. Konashev 63
PART TWO: THE MORGAN LAB 85
Theodosius Dobzhansky, the Morgan Lab, and the Breakdown of the Naturalist/ Experimentalist Dichotomy, 1927-1947 Garland E. Allen 87
The Origin of Dobzhansky's Genetics and the Origin of Species Fly Room West: Dobzhansky, D. pseudoobscura, and Scientific Practice Robert E. Kohler 115
Dobzhansky on Evolutionary Dynamics: Some Questions about His Russian Background Richard M. Burian 129
PART THREE: THE SCIENTIFIC LEGACY 141
Dobzhansky, Waddington, and Schmalhausen: Embryology and the Modern Synthesis Scott F Gilbert 143
Theodosius Dobzhansky Remembered: Genetic Coadaptation Bruce Wallace 155
Dobzhansky, Artificial Life, and the "Larger Questions" of Evolution Charles E. Taylor 163
PART FOUR: DOBZHANSKY'S WORLDVIEW 177
The Evolutionary Worldview of Theodosius Dobzhansky Costas B. Krimbas 179
Dobzhansky and the Biology of Democracy: The Moral and Political Significance of Genetic Variation John Beatty 195
Dobzhansky in the "Nature-Nurture" Debate Diane B. Paul 219
Dobzhansky and the Problem of Progress Michael Ruse 233
Contributors 247