[lbo-talk] FW: Synthetic Criticisms of Real Attempts to Regulate Biology

Michael Smith mjs at smithbowen.net
Thu May 1 19:42:06 PDT 2014


On May 1, 2014, at 9:46 PM, "Carrol Cox" <cbcox at ilstu.edu> wrote:
>
> Evolutionary biologist and social commentator Richard Lewontin has written an article about synthetic biology for the New York Review of Books. (Originally behind a paywall, it now seems to be generally available.) Given the publication and the author, this ought to be good news. But it's not...
>
> http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=7710

I'm afraid that Lewontin has not found a foe worthy of his steel here. It's a bit like me arguing with Chomsky over syntax -- though I hope I'd be more respectful to a man who's forgotten more than I ever knew on the subject.

Comrade Shanks, however, deploys the peashooter. To no effect. He even criticizes Lewontin's prose style. A comparison with Shanks' own is unflattering to the latter.

Michael Smith mjs at smithbowen.net

A man should take care not to be made a proverb; and, therefore, should avoid having any one topick of which people can say, "We shall hear him upon it."

--Dr J



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