Why read Disputed Inheritance?

Book cover of Disputed Inheritance: The Battle over Mendel and the Future of Biology

Book description

A root-and-branch rethinking of how history has shaped the science of genetics.

In 1900, almost no one had heard of Gregor Mendel. Ten years later, he was famous as the father of a new science of heredity-genetics. Even today, Mendelian ideas serve as a standard point of entry for learning…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Disputed Inheritance as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Michael Ruse

Author

This is a fascinating story of the history of science that operates at two levels.

First, Radick tells the story of the history of genetics and how the work of the Austrian friar Gregor Mendel, unknown for forty years, in ten years, became the paradigm that still rules today.

Second, Radick gives us what we might call a meta-history, showing the success of Mendelism was less a function of its own virtues and owes much to the sudden death of its chief opponent.

Question: Is the history of science the story of the success of excellent reason and experimentation, or…

From Michael's 3 favorite reads in 2023.