At the crossroads of philosophy and science, the sometimes-dry topics of evolution and ecology come alive in this new collection of essays--many never before anthologized. Learn how technology may be a sort of second nature, how the systemic human fungus Candida albicans can lead to cravings for carrot cake and beer, how the presence of life may be why there's water on Earth, and many other fascinating facts.The essay "Metametazoa" presents perspectives on biology in a philosophical context, demonstrating how the intellectual librarian, pornographer, and political agitator Georges Bataille was influenced by Russian mineralogist Vladimir Vernadsky and how this led to his notion of the absence of meaning in the face of the sun--which later influenced Jacques Derrida, thereby establishing a causal chain of influence from the hard sciences to topics as abstract as deconstruction and post-modernism. In "Spirochetes Awake" the bizarre connection between syphilis and genius in the life of Friedrich Nietzsche is traced. The astonishing similarities of the Acquired-Immune-Deficiency-Syndrome symptoms with those of chronic spirochete infection, it is argued, contrast sharply with the lack of evidence that "HIV is the cause of AIDS". Throughout these readings we are dazzled by the intimacy and necessity of relationships between us and our other planetmates. In our ignorance as "civilized" people we dismiss, disdain, and deny our kinship with the only productive life forms that sustain this living planet.
Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature
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Editorial Reviews
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To make sense of the natural world around us, now and into the future, it will not be enough to view science in strictly empirical terms; a convergence of the metaphysical with the corporeal will have to occur if humanity is to fully grasp and participate in the salvation of Earth's biosphere. Sharing many previously unpublished works for the first time, Margulis and Sagan jointly and separately examine a vast array of atypical subjects that should be brought to bear in any serious scientific discussion. A world-renowned geoscientist, Margulis views the world from the microbial level upward, while her son, an internationally acclaimed author, brings a more humanistic perspective to the natural sciences. From the surprising correlation between the AIDS virus and syphilis to the evolutionary and ecological derivation of contemporary technology, the authors' meticulously precise yet contemplative approach infuses their compelling and distinctive arguments with both immediacy and intimacy, making for edifying reading. Haggas, Carol
Review
"Enlightening, argumentative, and passionate reflections from a lifetime of debate about science, sex, and society. A fine personal summing up by mother and son--two of the finest creative thinkers and writers in the literature."--Greg Bear
"This is a ripsnorting intellectual barnstorm of a book, a sort of chimeric hybrid of mental genes from Dorion Sagan, his genius mother Lynn Margulis, and his dead father Carl Sagan--surely one of the smartest families on the planet. The result is a remarkably coherent and blazingly original proposal for the next grand narrative of our civilization (now that we have pretty much burned out the Cartesian one)." --Frederick Turner, author of Natural Classicism and The Culture of Hope
"Brilliant and fascinating, Dazzle Gradually unrolls for us the scroll of life on earth. These essays show us the intricate complexities of microbes; an atmosphere that performs self-maintenance; our own minds. Margulis and Sagan do not blink at the big questions or hard answers, and their writing is lively, precise, entertaining, and provocative, their passion for science everywhere evident and persuasive. Anyone who has ever wondered where we came from, who we are, and where we may be headed will delight in this extraordinarily exciting book." --Kelly Cherry, author of Hazard and Prospect: New and Selected Poems
"Deeply personal, humorous, and brilliant…reading Dazzle is like journeying into two of the most original and creative scientific minds of our time. Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan discuss their most revelatory and complex ideas in concise essays with accessible language, making this book a must-read primer to foraying their broad academic and intellectual interests." --Alan Berger, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
"Here is a certain slant of light, a profound exploration exposing false hierarchies and convenient dualisms and illuminating the continuities of biology, literature, physics, and philosophy. Margulis and Sagan make a dazzling team--their science allows us to glimpse, to begin to understand, a universe of unseen worlds."--Joseph Coulson, author of The Vanishing Moon and Of Song and Water. Novelist, playwright, and coeditor of The Nature of Life: Readings in Biology
"In Dazzle Gradually, Margulis and Sagan effectively tap into the cultural waveform through a series of original science essays and provocative ideas to reveal why we are living in an open social networked world, and why survival of the fittest no longer means fit to kill, but fitting in with the rest of life. Simply said, Darwin is left in the dust." --Mary McGuinness, Co-Director, Sputnik Observatory
"Margulis and Sagan continue to dazzle--much like the natural world they are describing. This is a wonderful collection of essays that breaks down false barriers and challenges the reader to rethink the very concepts of life, self, and change. Among the false dualisms that the authors attack is the very nature of writing itself. Written in neither dense, technical-academic prose nor some mere watered-down, populist version of science, Margulis and Sagan maintain their reputation for being able to bring the best of both worlds together--and in so doing show us that the dichotomy is to no one's advantage. Indeed, in many ways Dazzle Gradually is their finest work, both in that it brings together some of the authors' greatest contributions to and speculations on science, and in that they seamlessly move from autobiography to nature, from the personal to the transpersonal, with subtle humor, clear examples, and revolutionary thinking. Dazzle Gradually not only eloquently states the queries but has the courage to offer arguments that point toward answers as well. It is a remarkable book. A book that might just make a move toward resolving some of the big questions: questions concerning the birth of life, the origin of sex, the rise of death, and everything in between. Even raccoons in space."--H. Peter Steeves, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy at DePaul University, and author of The Things Themselves
"Biological phenomena are usually viewed in terms of plants and animals. Margulis and Sagan look at them from their extremes: Gaia--the living system of the Earth as a whole--and bacteria. Both Gaia and bacteria dazzle the reader accustomed to conventional fare. It is re-viewing of this kind that paves the way for real advance in science."--John B. Cobb, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Claremont School of Theology
"Dazzle Gradually is like an air-raid siren, calling for science to reinvent itself for the 21st century; to look beyond the categorization and characterization of things and the traditional view of nature into a highly networked and involved view. In particular, it advises us to descend from our throne of delusion and realize that humanity (with all its technological and cultural trappings), is intimately and inextricably immersed in this grand system along with the protoctists and bacteria, plants and animals, the living world that surrounds us. Our very identity--our minds and souls--are a result of the evolving experiment we call nature. Dazzle Gradually is like opening the door to a vast and brilliant garden, which slowly assimilates us as we become part of nature's teeming, humming, growing, and unendingly magical realm."--Stephen Miles Uzzo, Ph.D., New York Hall of Science
"Dazzle Gradually sparkles with insight and wit as it delves into a host of topics in biology and ecology, linking them in new ways that highlight scientific understanding and speculation at their enjoyable best."--Donald Goldsmith, co-author of Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution and The Search for Life in the Universe
"This book is a thrilling account of deep insights into life and its evolution, and will likely influence fundamental research in biology and environmental sciences."--Zoltán Toroczkai, Associate Professor of Physics, University of Notre Dame
"This is a ripsnorting intellectual barnstorm of a book, a sort of chimeric hybrid of mental genes from Dorion Sagan, his genius mother Lynn Margulis, and his dead father Carl Sagan--surely one of the smartest families on the planet. The result is a remarkably coherent and blazingly original proposal for the next grand narrative of our civilization (now that we have pretty much burned out the Cartesian one)." --Frederick Turner, author of Natural Classicism and The Culture of Hope
"Brilliant and fascinating, Dazzle Gradually unrolls for us the scroll of life on earth. These essays show us the intricate complexities of microbes; an atmosphere that performs self-maintenance; our own minds. Margulis and Sagan do not blink at the big questions or hard answers, and their writing is lively, precise, entertaining, and provocative, their passion for science everywhere evident and persuasive. Anyone who has ever wondered where we came from, who we are, and where we may be headed will delight in this extraordinarily exciting book." --Kelly Cherry, author of Hazard and Prospect: New and Selected Poems
"Deeply personal, humorous, and brilliant…reading Dazzle is like journeying into two of the most original and creative scientific minds of our time. Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan discuss their most revelatory and complex ideas in concise essays with accessible language, making this book a must-read primer to foraying their broad academic and intellectual interests." --Alan Berger, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
"Here is a certain slant of light, a profound exploration exposing false hierarchies and convenient dualisms and illuminating the continuities of biology, literature, physics, and philosophy. Margulis and Sagan make a dazzling team--their science allows us to glimpse, to begin to understand, a universe of unseen worlds."--Joseph Coulson, author of The Vanishing Moon and Of Song and Water. Novelist, playwright, and coeditor of The Nature of Life: Readings in Biology
"In Dazzle Gradually, Margulis and Sagan effectively tap into the cultural waveform through a series of original science essays and provocative ideas to reveal why we are living in an open social networked world, and why survival of the fittest no longer means fit to kill, but fitting in with the rest of life. Simply said, Darwin is left in the dust." --Mary McGuinness, Co-Director, Sputnik Observatory
"Margulis and Sagan continue to dazzle--much like the natural world they are describing. This is a wonderful collection of essays that breaks down false barriers and challenges the reader to rethink the very concepts of life, self, and change. Among the false dualisms that the authors attack is the very nature of writing itself. Written in neither dense, technical-academic prose nor some mere watered-down, populist version of science, Margulis and Sagan maintain their reputation for being able to bring the best of both worlds together--and in so doing show us that the dichotomy is to no one's advantage. Indeed, in many ways Dazzle Gradually is their finest work, both in that it brings together some of the authors' greatest contributions to and speculations on science, and in that they seamlessly move from autobiography to nature, from the personal to the transpersonal, with subtle humor, clear examples, and revolutionary thinking. Dazzle Gradually not only eloquently states the queries but has the courage to offer arguments that point toward answers as well. It is a remarkable book. A book that might just make a move toward resolving some of the big questions: questions concerning the birth of life, the origin of sex, the rise of death, and everything in between. Even raccoons in space."--H. Peter Steeves, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy at DePaul University, and author of The Things Themselves
"Biological phenomena are usually viewed in terms of plants and animals. Margulis and Sagan look at them from their extremes: Gaia--the living system of the Earth as a whole--and bacteria. Both Gaia and bacteria dazzle the reader accustomed to conventional fare. It is re-viewing of this kind that paves the way for real advance in science."--John B. Cobb, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Claremont School of Theology
"Dazzle Gradually is like an air-raid siren, calling for science to reinvent itself for the 21st century; to look beyond the categorization and characterization of things and the traditional view of nature into a highly networked and involved view. In particular, it advises us to descend from our throne of delusion and realize that humanity (with all its technological and cultural trappings), is intimately and inextricably immersed in this grand system along with the protoctists and bacteria, plants and animals, the living world that surrounds us. Our very identity--our minds and souls--are a result of the evolving experiment we call nature. Dazzle Gradually is like opening the door to a vast and brilliant garden, which slowly assimilates us as we become part of nature's teeming, humming, growing, and unendingly magical realm."--Stephen Miles Uzzo, Ph.D., New York Hall of Science
"Dazzle Gradually sparkles with insight and wit as it delves into a host of topics in biology and ecology, linking them in new ways that highlight scientific understanding and speculation at their enjoyable best."--Donald Goldsmith, co-author of Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution and The Search for Life in the Universe
"This book is a thrilling account of deep insights into life and its evolution, and will likely influence fundamental research in biology and environmental sciences."--Zoltán Toroczkai, Associate Professor of Physics, University of Notre Dame
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is great!,
This review is from: Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature (Paperback)
This is a great book if you are interested in the life sciences. It definitively presents some topics that we, unfortunately, don't find in high school or college class rooms. That makes it a great read for anyone in the life/Earth sciences, since it will present new ideas about 'well known' phenomena in nature.It is a collection of essays, both scientific and personal.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And you thought Science was boring.,
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This review is from: Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature (Paperback)
An amazing recounting of the microscopic living world. And we thought we were the important species. Bacteria started it all and are still here keeping it going. Read this and you will think twice about how we should live in this world.
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will be "dazzled" by this book, whether gradually or otherwise...,
By David A. Marks "norcalidave" (Paradise, CA United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature (Paperback)
This is an exceptionally informative, entertaining, and enlightening book, but there is no better way to illustrate this, than by quoting a sample of the editorial reviewers' comments, since their views mirror my own views (see these particular reviewers' comments, below):"This is a ripsnorting intellectual barnstorm of a book, a sort of chimeric hybrid of mental genes from Dorion Sagan, his genius mother Lynn Margulis, and his dead father Carl Sagan--surely one of the smartest families on the planet. The result is a remarkably coherent and blazingly original proposal for the next grand narrative of our civilization (now that we have pretty much burned out the Cartesian one)." --Frederick Turner, author of Natural Classicism and The Culture of Hope "Brilliant and fascinating, Dazzle Gradually unrolls for us the scroll of life on earth. These essays show us the intricate complexities of microbes; an atmosphere that performs self-maintenance; our own minds. Margulis and Sagan do not blink at the big questions or hard answers, and their writing is lively, precise, entertaining, and provocative, their passion for science everywhere evident and persuasive. Anyone who has ever wondered where we came from, who we are, and where we may be headed will delight in this extraordinarily exciting book." --Kelly Cherry, author of Hazard and Prospect: New and Selected Poems "Deeply personal, humorous, and brilliant...reading Dazzle is like journeying into two of the most original and creative scientific minds of our time. Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan discuss their most revelatory and complex ideas in concise essays with accessible language, making this book a must-read primer to foraying their broad academic and intellectual interests." --Alan Berger, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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evolutionary striptease, spirochetal remnants, solar gradient, meiotic sex, global sulfur cycle, autopoietic entities, sperm competition Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Christie Lyons, The Oceanic, Gaia's Circulatory System, The Pleasure of Change, Spirochetes Awake, The Uncut Self, Samuel Butler, Carl Sagan, Charles Darwin, Laszlo Meszoly, The Transhumans, The Riddle of Sex, Vive La Différence, University of Massachusetts, Alien Enlightenment, Truth of My Father, Red Shoe Conundrum, William Golding, James Lovelock, Christine Couture, World War Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
evolutionary striptease, spirochetal remnants, solar gradient, meiotic sex, global sulfur cycle, autopoietic entities, sperm competition Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Christie Lyons, The Oceanic, Gaia's Circulatory System, The Pleasure of Change, Spirochetes Awake, The Uncut Self, Samuel Butler, Carl Sagan, Charles Darwin, Laszlo Meszoly, The Transhumans, The Riddle of Sex, Vive La Différence, University of Massachusetts, Alien Enlightenment, Truth of My Father, Red Shoe Conundrum, William Golding, James Lovelock, Christine Couture, World War Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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