What is the attitude of Haldane to life and
society as reflected in his essay "What I
Require from Life"?
Answers
Answer:
would be fair to say that, until a week ago, I knew virtually nothing about J.B.S. Haldane. I knew he was a British biologist who helped form the subdiscipline of population genetics, but that was about it. Then, unexpectedly, Oxford University Press sent me a copy of What I Require From Life: Writings on Science and Life From J.B.S. Haldane.
What I Require From Life is neither an autobiography nor a comprehensive compilation of Haldane's writings. Instead it is a motley collection of Haldane's short essays written for the communist newspaper The Daily Worker (1937-1950) and pieces he wrote after he moved to India (1957-1964). Indeed, it is surprising that genetics and are typically mentioned only in passing; the majority of these essays have to do with astronomy, physiology, and animal behavior. In a certain sense they are reminiscent of short posts on a science blog. As the introductory information (contributed by James Crow, Krishna Dronamraju, and the late Arthur C. Clarke) confirms, many of these essays were written while Haldane was in transit from one spot to another or otherwise had a few minutes to while away.