Century of the Gene

"The book's condensed presentation of complex ideas, like evolvability, is only sparingly seasoned with examples, making it challenging reading. Keller's critique of accepted notions, notably the 'primacy of the gene,' ensures that the book is challenging in the other sense too. But its thesis that the gene is in crisis is unconvincing. Moreover, many quotations from eminent biologists are used to bolster Keller's case, but quotations giving the opposite viewpoint are largely omitted. Because science progresses by falsifying hypotheses and testing accepted wisdom, the scientific literature is a rich repository of opposing arguments. This is why the writing of evolutionary biologists--who never dispute the truth of Darwinian selection--proves so fertile for creationists in search of support.Keller, Evelyn Fox is the author of 'Century of the Gene' with ISBN 9780674003729 and ISBN 0674003721.