The Performance of a Lifetime: A Metaphor for the Phenotype (1999)

THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME: A METAPHOR FOR THE PHENOTYPE JEFFREY LEWIS * Introduction As the publicity surrounding the Human Genome Project (HGP) has kept advances in molecular biology in the public's eye, a critique of the project's goals and even its basic strategy has begun to emerge [1-3] . Many, including prominent members of the scientific community, are concerned that the HGP is indicative of a trend in the biological sciences of using excessively reductionist strategies to understand problems of human health, illness, and identity. They contend that the HGP and its supporters are promoting the "geneticization" ofhumanity, in which human individuality , choice, and free will are subordinated to the power of the controlling gene [4-6] . While not representative of molecular biology as a whole, such concerns have come to symbolize a highly visible group of researchers whose points have considerable merit. This situation is at least partially attributable to the metaphors used to present gene activity, which tend to convey images of strict determination and control on the part of the genome [7, 8]. The impact of deterministic metaphors in the biological sciences is especially profound, since they deal with deeply personal questions such as health, illness, and human identity at its most basic level. This intimacy has resulted in the gene becoming a symbol that bridges the gap between the producers of scientific knowledge and the general public [9]. In spilling over this boundary, the gene has brought with it the simple metaphors that have characterized molecular biology for decades. If used appropriately, these metaphors can be very powerful; however, if taken too literally they can lead to a highly distorted view of the relationship between genotype and phenotype, which seems to be happening in popular discussions of the role of the genome [10]. The author wishes to thank CJ Horn, John Stark, Simmy Sims, and especially Alan Beyerchen , Jennifer Terry, and Karen Lewis for their helpful suggestions on earlier drafts of this paper. *Department of History, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210.© 1999 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0031-5982/1999/4301-1122$01.00 112 Jeffrey Lewis ¦ The Performance of a Lifetime: A Metaphorfor the Phenotype Accurately depicting the complex relationship between DNA and organism requires reshaping the guiding metaphors used in biological studies. Such an effort is the focus of Robert Pollack's 1994 book Signs ofLife: The Language and Meanings ofDNA [H]. Pollack, a molecular and cell biologist, articulates a more appropriate metaphor for DNA, seeing it as a rich language , full of subtlety and ambiguity that will challenge our best efforts at translation for decades to come. In this article I would like to suggest a metaphor that complements Pollack's by utilizing his basic insights while simultaneously broadening the metaphor's scope to incorporate the organism itself. Ifthe genome can be seen as a text or a script, then its phenotypic expression can be seen as a performance of that script, bringing the text to vibrant and unique life just as actors on a stage bring life to the words on a page. Deterministic Metaphors In science, as in literature, metaphor is a conceptual tool that is of central importance in the creation and communication of ideas [12]. Since metaphor is a fundamental element ofhuman cognition, it follows that scientific theories themselves have metaphorical dimensions that give them greater depth and meaning. Theories do not simply reveal themselves to the observant scientist [13, 14]. Instead, information from the natural world is the raw ore that is forged in the crucible of the human mind, organized, strengthened, and tempered in a furnace lined with metaphor. Metaphor becomes inextricably alloyed with data in scientific theory, binding it in "a very direct way to the ideas, informing them with relevant associations and reflecting the deeper myths with which the science resonates" [15, p29] . In addition to its role in creation, metaphor then becomes one of the primary conduits through which ideas are communicated within scientific communities as well as across the boundaries separating disciplines, exerting a powerful influence at all levels [8] . Like any other tool, metaphor is subject to use and misuse. It can both constrain and liberate...