Defenders of the truth

by Ullica Christina Olofsdotter Segerstråle

"In the summer of 1975 the distinguished Harvard entomologist Edward O. Wilson published his Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. In the book, Wilson defined sociobiology as a new discipline devoted to 'the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior.' He explicitly included our own species Homo sapiens, and devoted his final chapter to humans, suggesting that human sex role divisions, aggressiveness, moral concerns, religious beliefs, and much more, have a genetic basis. The book came under intense fire from a group of critics and battle lines were drawn." "Defenders of the Truth is the definitive account of the controversy, a tale involving clashes of convictions about science and its social role. But Segerstrale's canvas is on an altogether grander scale. Here is an insight into the world of science and the scientists who inhabit it. Here, too, are important scientific, moral, and political issues, and perennial themes such as the objectivity of science, the social u