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Can I read Chance and Necessity : an Essay on the Natural Philosophy of Modern Biology on EtoBox?
Chance and Necessity : an Essay on the Natural Philosophy of Modern Biology by Monod, Jacques is a nonfiction available to read on EtoBox.
What is Chance and Necessity : an Essay on the Natural Philosophy of Modern Biology about?
Monod starts the preface of the book by saying that biology is both marginal and central. He goes on to explain that it is marginal because the living world is only a fraction of the universe. Monod believes the ultimate aim of science is to "clarify man's relationship to the universe" (Monod, xi) and from that reasoning he accords biology a central role. He goes on to state that he does not intend to make a thorough survey of modern biology but rather to "bring out the form of its key concepts and to point out their logical relationships with other areas of thought...it is an avowed attempt to extract the quintessence of the molecular theory of the code" (Monod, xiii). Monod stresses the importance of the molecular theory of the genetic code as a physical theory of heredity and brands it as the "secret of life". He continues to explain how this important discovery has made it the duty of scientists to share with and enhance other disciplines of thought such as philosophy. Toward the end of the preface Monod offers apology for any overly tedious or technical sections. He also warns that some ethical and political ideas he presents may seem naïve or ambitious but then states "Modest
Who reads Chance and Necessity : an Essay on the Natural Philosophy of Modern Biology?
It is typically read by self-directed learners exploring a subject in depth.
Common subject areas: history, science, philosophy, social sciences.
- Author
- Monod, Jacques
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- 1972
- Language
- EN
- ISBN
- 9780394466156
- Category
- nonfiction
- Subjects
- Science, Philosophy, Social Science
- Rating
- 4.6 / 5 (32 ratings)
- Updated
- 2026-03-14