Dazzle Gradually: Reflections on the Nature of Nature
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 Sharing many previously unpublished works for the first time, Margulis and Sagan jointly and separately examine a vast array of atypical subjects that should be brought to bear in any serious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