What Makes Biology Unique?: Considerations on the Autonomy of a Scientific Discipline
"His mind is still remarkably sharp."   Science"In this first book of the second century of his long career, the biologist Ernst Mayr at age 100 has given us his reflections on the most interesting and important questions about life: why living things can't be understood just as very complex machines, how humans evolved, why we haven't yet communicated with any extraterrestrials, and others. Written with a clarity and vigor that shine from every page, this book is best summarized in one word: exciting!"   Jared Diamond, Professor of Geography, UCLA, author of Guns, Germs and Steel  (Pultizer Prize, 1998)."Ernst Mayr has long had a deep and well-informed interest in the philosophy of biology in relation to broad questions in the philosophy of science.  This is an invaluable, thought-provoking, and engaging summary of his ideas, a crowning achievement!"   Mary Jane West-Eberhard, Senior Scientist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, author of Developmental Plasticity and Evolution (Hawkins Award, 2003)." What Makes Biology Unique?  offers newcomers an entertaining way to expand their horizons.  We are lucky that someone who has experienced so much remains forever young in his thinking."    American Scientist, Volume 93, David Sloan Wilson, Biology and Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York