ScholarWorks at UMass Boston

Title

The Social Construction of Life: Critical Thinking about Biology in Society

Authors

Peter J. TaylorFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 2-4-2019

Keywords

biology, causality, construction, critical thinking, interpretation

Disciplines

Biology | Science and Mathematics Education | Science and Technology Studies

Abstract

This book aims to expand the boundaries of the influences that readers consider when interpreting the practices and products of the life sciences ("biology") and their impact on society. The chapter topics include: Interpreting Ideas of Nature; The structure of origin stories; Multiple layers in influencing an audience: The case of Darwin's On the Origin of Species; Metaphors of coordination and development; What causes a disease?—the consequences of hereditarianism in the case of pellagra; How changeable are IQ test scores?; Social negotiations around genetic screening; Intersecting processes involving genes and environment.

Each chapter consists of 5 parts:

1. Introduce simple theme(s), building on previous sessions;

2. Precis of reading with directions about reading the full work;

3. Activity so readers (or students) can work with simple theme, but then see its shortcomings;

4. Synthesis and extensions: notes summarizing themes in more complex formulation (including notes on pedagogical issues);

5. Connections and resources (e.g., annotations to additional readings).

Recommended Citation

Taylor, Peter J., "The Social Construction of Life: Critical Thinking about Biology in Society" (2019). Working Papers on Science in a Changing World. 18.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cct_sicw/18

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.