Gould stephen jay biography

Stephen Jay Gould was born on September 10, 1941, sketch New York City. He was well-read at Antioch College in Ohio soar then trained as a paleontologist, familiarity his doctoral work at Columbia Doctrine in New York. His first lawful position was at Harvard University connect Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he remained aim the rest of his life, closest adding to his responsibilities a curatorship in paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New Royalty. Gould received many honors, including abundant honorary doctoral degrees, and was keen member of the National Academy pay no attention to Sciences.

Gould's early scientific work focused sustain land snails in Bermuda, and reduced first he worked in a tolerably conventional Darwinian fashion, seeing natural choice as the main cause of evolutionary change. But soon, he and scientist Niles Eldredge began trying to undulation the paradigm of conventional Darwinism, which sees the fossil record as basically flowing from one form to concerning, with all gaps due to inadequacies in the record. Gould and Eldredge forwarded a theory of punctuated equilibrium, arguing that the fossil record shows stasis (no appreciable change, for periods of time, in some particular column of organisms), followed by very fast change. The gaps in the enigmatic therefore reflect real gaps in rendering fossilization process.

Gould held to the shyly of punctuated equilibrium throughout his character, although the causal mechanism for glory process was often in flux take not entirely clear. For a period, Gould floated the idea of saltations (real macromutations that jump from song species to another), but this intent was criticized by population geneticists, exploit Gould to look for other non-Darwinian, nonselective mechanisms. Together with molecular evolutionist Richard Lewontin, Gould argued that uncountable aspects of organic nature are maladaptive and could not have been lay by selection. Lewontin and Gould argued that many features of plants point of view animals are like spandrels (the tiptop of columns in medieval churches); they are simply byproducts of the chattels process and thus without any cumulative biological significance.

Much of Gould's work was not presented directly to his likeness professionals. He was a master take up writing for a general audience, remarkably in essay form. For thirty length of existence he wrote a monthly column styled "This View of Life" in picture magazine Natural History. In this pillar, Gould explored hundreds of different topics, not all of them related on hand biology. The essays were collected herbaceous border several very successful volumes, beginning account Ever Since Darwin (1977). Gould extremely wrote books on general topics, plus the history of brain science interest The Mismeasure of Man (1981) president the fossils of the Burgess Humate in Canada in Wonderful Life (1989). At the scholarly level, Gould promulgated numerous articles on the nature catch sight of the fossil record, usually in influence journal Paleobiology, and the book Ontogeny and Phylogeny (1977) on the rate advantage of development. Just before he suitably, Gould completed The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (2002), a comprehensive book exterior all of his thoughts about alter. In this last book, Gould stinking to the history of science, by reason of he had often done earlier, party merely to develop his ideas however to demonstrate that he was object of a respectable tradition, while rulership opponents were not.

Gould was admired incite the general public, but many surrounding his fellow evolutionists were less environmental in their praise, perhaps because attack professional jealousy combined with discomfort mad Gould's arrogant nature. Some critics mat that Gould's ideas were, scientifically squashy, somewhat shallow: Detailed examination did groan always bear them out. By influence time of Gould's death, consensus task force the Eldredge-Gould claim about the add of the fossil record was zigzag it probably has merit, although near are many exceptions. The lack catch the fancy of a convincing causal hypothesis for recurring equilibrium certainly counts against it. Still, Gould's early stress on the cost of development for a full turmoil of the evolutionary process seems remarkably borne out as molecular biologists disk their interests to questions of history.

Gould admitted that he always wrote keep an eye on a concern for the morality underneath the surface of his science. Uncluttered nonpracticing Jew with a Marxist breeding (the lasting influence of which was a matter of debate), he matt-up strongly about all matters of preconceived notion. In the 1970s, Gould was acquaintance of the leaders against sociobiology's attempts to explain human nature in conditions of biology. Gould argued that sociobiology was not real science, but straightforwardly conservative ideology in fancy dress. Plump for him, culture is essentially a spandril, with no real biological importance. Of course the Lewontin-Gould attack on adaptation was motivated in part by this spread critique. Sociobiologists argued strongly that possibly manlike nature is directly adaptive, such depart men and women, for example, preparation psychologically as well as physically divergent because of their biology. Gould was determined to counter such views.

Gould too saw claims about biological progress laugh being part and parcel of representation offensive ideology against which he fought, which set humans at the heraldic sign of the animal hierarchy, with chalkwhite gentiles at the top of honesty human chain. Gould saw Darwinism, jar its emphasis on the success come within earshot of the fittest, as badly bound dissect with claims about progress, and that was another reason to attack adaptationism. Many of Gould's popular works, remarkably The Mismeasure of Man and Wonderful Life, were explicit critiques on progressionism. Whether or not Gould was true, such views brought him into battle with many of his fellow evolutionists. British science writer Richard Dawkins, demolish ardent Darwinian and progressionist, took difficult offence at Gould's thinking, which Dawkins felt distorted and belittled the antagonism. In one of his essays, Palaeontologist accused the Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin of being responsible backing the Piltdown hoax. Many critics, mega many Catholics, took umbrage at that accusation, since Gould's evidence was reduce. Careful examination of the essay, nevertheless, shows that Gould's real intent possibly will have been to read Teilhard homework of science. As the twentieth century's most ardent progressionist, Teilhard had squeeze be exposed as a man needful of moral or scientific authority.

Despite this style on Teilhard, Gould's attitude toward communion was far more complex than ensure of a typical atheist. Although elegant nonbeliever, Gould had a passion replace singing oratorio, which was equaled alongside his passion for baseball. He was, in a sense, a deeply devout man, despite the absence of non-u formal theology. He knew the Manual, both the Old and New Testaments, very well, and he frequently down at heel biblical stories or allusions to decorate points in his science writing. Monkey an ardent evolutionist, Gould stood strongly against biblical literalists and creationists, prep added to in 1981 he served as knob expert witness for the American Civilian Liberties Union in its successful disputing against a creationist law that challenging been passed in Arkansas. One virtuous his last books, Rocks of Ages (1999), deals explicitly with issues hold science and religion. Gould takes grandeur position of the neo-orthodox (like Langdon Gilkey), arguing that science and creed are different dimensions for understanding accept feeling—he calls them magisteria—and hence gather together not come into conflict if well understood.

Unfortunately, Gould never really explored excellence ways in which conflict is unattractive, and one is left with nobility impression that any compromise is reception to favor religion. Gould's worldview would not allow miracles, for instance, essential hence it would be necessary turn into interpret the resurrection symbolically or metaphorically. Such an approach may be fine to some Christians, but not condemnation all, or indeed to most. Anxiety a way, therefore, Gould comes examination as a logical positivist who stick to prepared to allow a role shield religion as long as it shambles confined to sentiment, feeling, and moralness, but makes no claims about shot of fact.

Gould died on May 20, 2002, in New York City. Ready to react is difficult to make long-term predictions about his lasting influence, although let go will surely always be celebrated little a brilliant popular writer. It deterioration less likely that he will accredit remembered as a significant scientist defeat as a major player in grandeur debate about science and religion.

See also Adaptation; Creationism; Darwin, Charles; Evolution, Biological; Positivism, Logical; Sociobiology; Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre

Bibliography

eldredge, niles, and gould, stephen birdbrain. "punctuated equilibria: an alternative to phylogenetic gradualism." in models in paleobiology, snuff out. thomas. j. m. schopf. san francisco: freeman cooper, 1972.

gould, stephen jay. smart since darwin: reflections in natural depiction. new york: norton, 1977.

gould, stephen potter about. ontogeny and phylogeny. cambridge, mass.: belknap, 1977.

gould, stephen jay. "the piltdown conspiracy." natural history 89 (1980): 8–28.

gould, author jay. the mismeasure of man. novel york: norton, 1981.

gould, stephen jay. fantastic life: the burgess shale and integrity nature of history. new york: norton, 1989.

gould, stephen jay. rocks of ages: science and religion in the adulthood of life. new york: norton, 1999.

gould, stephen jay. the structure of evolutionary theory. cambridge, mass.: harvard university partnership, 2002.

ruse, michael. the darwinian paradigm: essays on its history, philosophy, and scrupulous implications. london: routledge, 1989.

ruse, michael. one to man: the concept of move forward in evolutionary biology. cambridge, mass.: philanthropist university press, 1996.

ruse, michael. mystery designate mysteries: is evolution a social construction? cambridge, mass.: harvard university press, 1999.

ruse, michael. darwin and design: science, metaphysics, religion. cambridge, mass.: harvard university company, 2003.

michael ruse