Essays of a Biologist

A collection of essays that examine biological ideas and their wider implications, arguing that advances in experimental biology can alter human experience and enable conscious direction of evolution; topics range from gland physiology and hypnosis to the evolution of self-consciousness, the shift from blind selection to deliberate human purpose, and the moral and social consequences of applying biological knowledge. The essays contrast scientific and unscientific worldviews, urge constructive personal and societal living over merely earning a living, and propose that spiritual values may supersede biological ends as humanity consciously shapes its future.