Abstract
(1) PROF. J. B. S. HALDANE'S book is, as he says, a mixed bag. It consists of a number of essays, mostly short: and one piece of fiction (a thriller of correct pedigree, by John Buchan out of H. G. Wells). Some of the essays are no more than good popular journalism, some are more substantial, but all are worth reading. There is a certain unity of purpose running through them, making the book philosophical in the wide sense. This purpose is to consider the way in which scientific knowledge, or lack of it, affects human life and society. Civilisation cannot stand still but must either develop or decay. Which course it takes depends upon whether we use scientific knowledge to cut our own throats or to reorganise society. Many of the subjects dealt with by Prof. Haldane are of acute interest.
(1) The Inequality of Man: and other Essays.
By J. B. S. Haldane. Pp. ix + 295. (London: Chatto and Windus, 1932.) 7s. 6d. net.
(2) Leben und Erkennen: Vorarbeiten zu einer biologischen Philosophie.
Von Prof. Gustav Wolff. Pp. 442. (München: Ernest Reinhardt, 1933.) 11.50 gold marks.
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R., A. (1) The Inequality of Man: and other Essays (2) Leben und Erkennen: Vorarbeiten zu einer biologischen Philosophie. Nature 131, 529–530 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/131529a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/131529a0
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