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Evolution in Changing Environments
Professor Levins, one of the leading explorers in the field of integrated population biology, considers the mutual interpenetration and joint evolution of organism and environment, occurring on several levels at once. Physiological and behavioral adaptations to short-term fluctuations of the environment condition the responses of populations to long-term changes and geographic gradients. These in turn affect the way species divide the environments among themselves in communities, and, therefore, the numbers of species which can coexist. Environment is treated here abstractly as pattern: patchiness, variability, range, etc. Populations are studied in their patterns: local heterogeneity, geographic variability, faunistic diversity, etc.
The Dialectical Biologist
Scientists act within a social context and from a philosophical perspective that is inherently political. Whether they realize it or not, scientists always choose sides. The Dialectical Biologist explores this political nature of scientific inquiry, advancing its argument within the framework of Marxist dialectic. These essays stress the concepts of continual change and codetermination between organism and environment, part and whole, structure and process, science and politics. Throughout, this book questions our accepted definitions and biases, showing the self-reflective nature of scientific activity within society.
The Truth Is the Whole
A collection of essays that pays tribute to Richard Levins by carrying forward his work in the development of the understanding of the dialectics of nature and society.
Talking about Trees
"Understanding dynamic complexity is the central scientific problem of our time. We need to look at science itself as an object of study, a historically developed way of producing knowledge that creates a rich mix of insights and confusions. Our approach needs to be partisan, rejecting the notion that feeling is the enemy of reason or that a commitment to human well-being is an enemy of objectivity. Richard Levins, an ex-tropical farmer turned Harvard University ecologist, biomathematician and philosopher of science, gives us his first book since the hugely influential The Dialectical Biologist. He argues for a good, combative, perceptive scientific method that is more reflective of the complex, dynamic world in which we live and more supportive of precautionary decisions. Talking About Trees ranges widely, from personal narratives to theoretical discussions on the need for the precautionary principle in science. Levins offers a strong critique of the industrial-commercial pathway to development; in its place he promotes an alternative development pathway that emphasizes economic viability with equity, ecological and social sustainability and empowerment of the dispossessed."
Biology Under the Influence
How do we understand the world? While some look to the heavens for intelligent design, others argue that it is determined by information encoded in DNA. Science serves as an important activity for uncovering the processes and operations of nature, but it is also immersed in a social context where ideology influences the questions we ask and how we approach the material world. Biology Under the Influence: Dialectical Essays on the Coevolution of Nature and Society breaks from the confirms of determinism, offering a dialectical analysis for comprehending a dynamic social and natural world. In Biology Under the Influence, Richard Lewontin and Richard Levins provide a devastating critique of gen...
Willard Cochrane and the American Family Farm
Then, for forty long years, he held to his principles while traditional agriculture faded into what he once called "family farms in form but not in spirit."".
Qualitative Modeling of Complex Systems
In this modern era of mathematical modeling, applications have become increasingly complicated. As the complexity grows, it becomes more and more difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about the behavior of theoretical models and their relations to reality. Alongside methods that emphasize quantitative properties and the testing of scientific details, there is a need for approaches that are more qualitative. These techniques attempt to cover whole families of models in one bold stroke, in a manner that allows robust conclusions to be drawn about them. Loop analysis and time averaging provide a means of interpreting the properties of systems from the network of interactions within the syste...
Tactical Biopolitics
Scientists, scholars, and artists consider the political significance of recent advances in the biological sciences. Popular culture in this “biological century” seems to feed on proliferating fears, anxieties, and hopes around the life sciences at a time when such basic concepts as scientific truth, race and gender identity, and the human itself are destabilized in the public eye. Tactical Biopolitics suggests that the political challenges at the intersection of life, science, and art are best addressed through a combination of artistic intervention, critical theorizing, and reflective practices. Transcending disciplinary boundaries, contributions to this volume focus on the political s...
Getting America Back to Work
Studies the roots of the economic crisis and makes the case for rebuilding the country's manufacturing base to get back to creating wealth by making things.
Humanity and Nature
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