Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => Science and Technology => Topic started by: Nearly Sane on December 20, 2017, 12:19:46 PM

Title: The return of Lysenko?
Post by: Nearly Sane on December 20, 2017, 12:19:46 PM
One hopes not!


https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/trofim-lysenko-soviet-union-russia/548786/
Title: Re: The return of Lysenko?
Post by: Harrowby Hall on December 20, 2017, 12:40:04 PM
Indeed. We should be wary.

Incidentally, the article does include a short summary of the nature and effects of epigenetics.

Title: Re: The return of Lysenko?
Post by: Nearly Sane on December 21, 2017, 02:49:19 AM
And makes valid points about the issue of anti science in a variety of areas.
Title: Re: The return of Lysenko?
Post by: Enki on December 21, 2017, 03:29:15 PM
And makes valid points about the issue of anti science in a variety of areas.

Indeed. Perhaps Sriram might take note of some of the arguments expressed, even though he might not agree with them.
Title: Re: The return of Lysenko?
Post by: Dicky Underpants on January 08, 2018, 04:47:42 PM
One hopes not!


https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/trofim-lysenko-soviet-union-russia/548786/

We of course had an ardent polemicist for Lysenko's version of Lamarckism over here, in the form of George Bernard Shaw (the preface to Back to Methuselah is an extended paeon to the ideas of Bergson and Lamarck). Of course, Shaw was completely taken in by Soviet propaganda - like many western intellectuals - and his starry-eyed vision of an eternal socialist future made him blind to the horrors which were probably well under way when he visited the Soviet countries.
Even Arthur Koestler was prepared to give Lamarckism the benefit of the doubt, and his "Case of the Midwife Toad" is a defence of the Austrian biologist and Lamarckian, Paul Kammerer.

PS

The following indicates that Lamarckism is still being given a sympathetic hearing in the universities of Chile:

https://phys.org › Biology › Evolution

Also here:

www.blc.arizona.edu/courses/schaffer/449/Epigenetics/Vargas%20-%20Kamerer.pdf