Can biology define life? “[An] ingenious mixture of science and philosophy. . . . highly thought-provoking.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
In this book a professor, biologist, and physiologist argues that modern Darwinism’s materialist and mechanistic biases have led to a scientific dead end, unable to define what life is—and only an openness to the qualities of purpose and desire will move the field forward.
As Scott Turner contends: “To be scientists, we force ourselves into a Hobson’s choice on the matter: accept intentionality and purposefulness as real attributes of life, which disqualifies you as a scientist; or become a scientist and dismiss life’s distinctive quality from your thinking. I have come to believe that this choice actually stands in the way of our having a fully coherent theory of life.”
Growing research shows that life’s most distinctive quality, shared by all living things, is purpose and desire: maintain homeostasis to sustain life. In Purpose and Desire, Turner draws on the work of Claude Bernard, a contemporary of Darwin revered among physiologists as the founder of experimental medicine, to build on Bernard’s “dangerous idea” of vitalism, which seeks to identify what makes “life” a unique phenomenon of nature. To further its quest to achieve a fuller understanding of life, Turner says, science must move beyond strictly accepted measures that consider only the mechanics of nature. A thoughtful appeal to widen our perspective of biology that is grounded in scientific evidence, Purpose and Desire helps us bridge the ideological evolutionary divide.
“A must-read for everybody interested in the science of life and evolution . . . one of those rare science books which inquisitive laypeople will equally enjoy. Purpose and Desire will change the way you think of life.” —Washington Book Review
“[A] beautifully written book, brimming with anecdotes and biological insights . . . will leave readers moved by Turner’s deep appreciation of life’s exquisiteness, its richness, and diversity . . . a provocative thesis, but one that is a wonderfully rich read, thought-provoking, and highly recommended.” —The Quarterly Review of Biology
DR. J. SCOTT TURNER is a leading biologist and physiologist and professor of biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, in Syracuse, New York. His work has garnered attention in the New York Times Book Review, Science, Nature, American Scientist, National Geographic Online, NPR “Science Friday” and other leading media outlets. He is the author of two books with Harvard University Press: The Extended Organism: The Physiology of Animal Built Structures (2000) and The Tinkerer’s Accomplice: How Design Emerges from Life Itself (2007).
