Saturday, September 10, 2005

Stephen Jay Gould, Darwin warrior


1941 Stephen Jay Gould (d. May 20, 2002), American palaeontologist, science educator and author (Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea; The Mismeasure of Man; Wonderful Life; Time's Arrow/Time's Cycle; The Panda's Thumb; The Flamingo's Smile).

Gould was the most influential and widely-read writer of research-based popular science of his generation. Although a neo-Darwinist, his inclinations were less gradualist and reductionist than most neo-Darwinists, and he opposed sociobiology. He spent much of his time fighting against pseudoscience and creationism; he was also known for his clashed in the so-called 'Darwin Wars', with Harvard colleague Edward O Wilson and British biologist, Richard Dawkins.

In the 1980s he published 'The Hottentot Venus', calling for the return of the remains of Saartje Baartman to be returned from Paris to her native South Africa.

Categories: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

eXTReMe Tracker