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RIP: Stephen Jay Gould
gdyas writes: " Reuters reports that famed paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has died today at age 60 of cancer. Famous for his many essays on natural history, modifications to Darwin's theories, and as the winner of the American Book Award for "The Mismeasure of Man", a history of intelligence testing, Gould was and remains a profound influence on biology." CNN also has a piece on him.
the most important book i read in college. showed me how to use necessary subjectivity to discredit almost any opinion. invaluable.
four-oh-four
Stephen Gould was that rarest of beasts - a cultured scientist who could make difficult, advanced concepts easy to grasp. He had a brilliant intellect, a witty and gentle sense of humor and an inspired gift for teaching and writing.
Science, in fact all human culture is much poorer today. Sophia (the Hebrew spirit of wisdom) has turned her face from us. Why did he leave us so soon when we still need him to fight the good fight against igorance and superstition? When will we see one like him again?
The man who never alters his opinion is like the stagnant water and breeds Reptiles of the Mind -- William Blake
I hope he had a wonderful life.
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"Look in the mirror, and don't be tempted to equate transient domination with either intrinsic superiority or prospects for extended survival." --Stephen Jay Gould
With the exception of his most recent 2-3 books, I've read everything he's written, most of it while I was in high school. I didn't agree with all of it, but it was wonderful to explore these ideas, to look at the evidence for things, and try to construct theories that might explain them. Between Gould & Richard Dawkins I learned, before I knew if I wanted to be a scientist, what science was like and how it could answer powerful questions about biology, which I loved.
So I read this in the news this morning, and I go around the lab asking people -- "You know who Stephen Jay Gould is?" -- and to my surprise, none of the 6 or so people I asked, scientists all, knew. Sigh. I understand that many scientists are too preoccupied with their work to read about evolutionary theory, but still. It's a pity. So I figured I'd post it here, have a little nerd wake for those of us who still read the giants of biology, because one of the giants fell this morning.
Thanks to his writing I learned what I wanted to do with my life. About a decade of working in molecular biology later, I'm still not sure I agree 100% on some of his ideas, but they're clear, powerful, and worthy of deep study. So thanks, Dr. Gould.
The only tool you've got against psychosis is experience.
It is customary not to speak ill of the dead, but ...
But you're going to do it anyway because you like playing devil's advocate, right?
There's a time and place for everything, and those who are interested in evolutionary theory know where the chinks in Gould's armor are. But chosing today to pick his nits is like bashing Darwin for getting parts of natural selection all screwed up only to ignore the larger grandeur of his contributions.
So please, lay off.
The only tool you've got against psychosis is experience.
Your post should help put to rest the myth that the strongly religious are necessarily more ethical or compassionate.
Damnit. You know, I'd heard of Gould before, never really cared one way or the other about him. I didn't even realize the significance of Gould on that Simpsons episode. But now, reading all these articles on CNN, NYtimes, even /. posts - I really regret the fact I'll never have the chance to take a class taught by this man, or have a one-in-a-million chance to run into him on the street. Why the hell is it that death seems to be the most effective form of publicity for the most interesting people?
I'm the stranger...posting to
Wow, such a shame he is gone. Have been reading his books for over 10 years, and he is the best I have ever seen at conveying difficult scientific concepts simply. I've often thought that as our society moves towards trusting more and more complex science and technology, the need for informed scientists and engineers who can clearly convey new ideas to the public increases substantially. Despite some cynics who contend the contrary, I believe that the public wants to be informed and engaged in technological decision making. Sadly, I have seen few who can do this well and SJ Gould was one of them.
Rest in peace Mr. Gould, you truly inspired some of the direction I've taken in my life.
Laugh while you can, monkey boy!
As a Christian who doesn't buy Creationism (I believe God created the universe, but "creationism" is hardly the same thing - it takes a literal interpretation of the Bible and adds very nutty presuppositions to make modern ideas about the past sound plausible to people who want to stay blind to science - as if faith can stay faith even if it requires pseudoscience to be bolstered), Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, and Stephen Hawking have been the contemporary scientists that I have looked up to in order to further my understanding of the physical world. I was hoping to hear live lectures by them all one day, but now only Hawking is left.
Can anyone name some scientists of the newest generation worth watching, now?
p.s. Ironically, I was watching a showb about Charles Darwin on PBS a night or two ago (Darwin's Diary?), and Gould was on. I said to myself, "Wow! He's still around." Sigh.
Get off my launchpad!
"Hey, here we see some primitive creatures, and now, BOOM, here are gazillions of more complex ones. Now we see some even more complex ones, yeah, I know there is no good evidence, but BELIEVE IT"
It seems to be stupid, but hey, it's how Darwinism is teached, as something completely right. It doesn't matter if no one can proof anything, because it's pretty religious.