Re: S J Gould on new genome findings

Boris-

Perhaps my message was too condensed.

My point is that if Gould is right, we have nothing to fear from genetic
engineering.  Personally, I'm still very worried about what it might lead
to -- I'm afraid the reductionist biology agenda might be much more
dangerous than simply a bad ideology.

RH


On Mon, 19 Feb 2001, Boris Stremlin wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Feb 2001, Richard N Hutchinson wrote:
> 
> > I only hope Gould is right, but unfortunately capitalism is pouring
> > billions into the search for traits and behaviors encoded in genes, and
> > the reductionist approach may bear ominous fruit...
> 
> Three quick points - 
> 
> 1) The finding that the number of genes is approximately 1/4 to 1/5 the
> size previously estimated is not Gould's, but that of the "reductionist
> establishment"; he is merely commenting on its obvious significance.
> 
> 2) the fact that reductionism may bear ominous fruit in some cases is no
> reason to accept a reductionist world-view.
> 
> 3) "capitalism" has also poured billions into neo-classical economics, to
> ominous ends in some circumstances.
> 
> -- 
> Boris Stremlin
> bc70219@binghamton.edu
> 
>