The Tinkerer's Accomplice: How Design Emerges from Life Itself

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 304 pages
• Published by: Harvard University Press January 1, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0674023536
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0674023536
• Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 1.4 pounds

From Publishers Weekly
Physiologist Turner (The Extended Organism) addresses a tricky question: if trial-and-error Darwinism rests on solid research and plentiful evidence, and Intelligent Design is little more than religion's hollow Trojan horse, from where does the "self-evident design of the living world" spring? Taking on "modern biology's most glaring blind spot," the "phenomenon of design," Turner argues here that design is a true physiological force that works organically, in accord with DNA, to produce ever more environments "upon which homeostasis can be imposed." He makes his case in a way that's as scientific as any biologist's, using thorough research and enlightening illustrations to demonstrate how, for instance, gut design is shaped "as much under the influence of 'foreign' organisms as it is the organism itself." He also uses pop culture analogies (including Spiderman comics and Terry Gilliam's film Brazil), a friendly voice and personal anecdotes, making this a largely welcoming science book-though he occasionally lapses into technical language when simpler speech would do. His unwavering passion for the topic, combined with a sharp focus, makes Turner's latest ideal for science types, design lovers and anyone who's unashamedly analytical about everyday life.
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From Booklist
Assuring readers that he is neither challenging Darwinism nor slipping a disguise over so-called intelligent design, Turner holds that blindly operating natural selection does not preclude what he interprets as intentional biological activity. Not a crank, Turner is a conventional scientist and an expert on termite mounds (The Extended Organism: The Physiology of Animal-Built Structures, 2000). The evidence he adduces does not, Turner often notes, necessitate an organism's awareness of anything, for the intentionality he argues for generally occurs at the level of cells and tissues. He specifically looks at the skin of sharks, blood vessels, linings of digestive tracts, and the formation of antlers and bone and other specialized structures, for which a biology background would be helpful to readers' understanding. More accessible are Turner's more philosophical turns, which concede that molecular biology is an indispensable yet somehow incomplete explanation of how bodily structures arise in animals. Though technical to an extent, Turner's thesis should gain traction with those thinking and debating issues in evolution. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
Turner's first book (The Extended Organism) was interesting, and well written. The same is true of this book but I would add a third descriptor as well, ambitious. Turner acknowledges at the start that some readers may be inclined to throw the book across the room in disgust, so he asks the reader's indulgence to stay with him to the end of the book. I think persistence will be rewarded with some very intriguing insights and a very challenging thesis. First, Turner is attempting an integration of physiology with evolution. Second, he is using his integration to explain what he sees as an ignored problem, obvious design in the form and functioning of animals. Turner refers, somewhat indirectly, to a frequently mentioned problem with the results of modern DNA sequencing of whole genomes. There aren't enough genes to specify all of the complex structure and function that we see in animals. So where does it come from if we are not going to just leave the problem for intelligent design advocates to exploit? Turner's answer is homeostatic mechanisms, the ability of organisms to regulate their internal structure and function within narrow limits. A really fun part of the book for me was his series of examples on muscle and bone structure, circulation, embryogenesis and development, and intestines. Turner is a wonderful writer as he models thinking like a physiologist. Tuner's point is that each of his examples can be thought of as a Bernard Machine, named after the French physiologist who first identified the central role of homeostasis in physiology. Each of his examples show how homostasis can produce (design) an adapted structure that is not directly a result of genes. Then Turner wisely admits that the thesis of his next section is where the reader's irritation is likely to build. Homeostasis can be used as an explanation for the origins of consciousness. I told you that this book was ambitious. I will be very interested in seeing if anybody takes up Turner's hypothesis as the basis for a research program. This idea really needs some more data. I, for one, would like to see somebody try to flesh out this idea. A year of two ago, a writer in the journal Science pointed out that comparative physiology had become something of a moribund research discipline. That writer's suggested solution was the use of gene expression patterns by using DNA chips. Turner may well have presented another way to energize the field, integrate physiology into evolution in a really deep way, similar to what has happened to developmental biology recently. I am tentatively convinced by Turner's arguments; they are reasonable if speculative at times. Turner points out that he doesn't think that any of the ideas in his book originate with him. He is just trying to put them together in a coherent form. I hope that biologists don't just ignore him. One problem that readers will face in this book has nothing to do with the ideas but rather the presentation. Sometimes the material is quite accessable and other times it can be challenging. The neurobiology can be slow going. The general reader may have difficulty in places; the trained biologist will not have significant difficulty. The conversational style of writing and Turner's obvious enthusiasm will carry any reader along. Read this book and let the debate begin.