Biology until recently has been the neglected stepchild of science, andmany educated people have little grasp of how biology explains thenatural world. Yet to address the major political and moral questionsthat face us today, we must acquire an understanding of their biologicalroots. This magisterial new book byErnst Mayrwill go far toremedy this situation. An eyewitness to this century’s relentlessbiological advance and the creator of some of its most importantconcepts, Mayr is uniquely qualified to offer a vision of science thatplaces biology firmly at the center, and a vision of biology thatrestores the primacy of holistic, evolutionary thinking.As he argues persuasively, the physical sciences cannot address manyaspects of nature that are unique to life. Living organisms must beunderstood at every level of organization; they cannot be reduced to thelaws of physics and chemistry. Mayr’s approach is refreshingly at oddswith the reductionist thinking that dominated scientific researchearlier in this century, and will help to redirect how people thinkabout the natural world.This Is Biologycan also be read as a "life history" of thediscipline--from its roots in the work of Aristotle, through itsdormancy during the Scientific Revolution and its flowering in the handsof Darwin, to its spectacular growth with the advent of moleculartechniques. Mayr maps out the territorial overlap between biology andthe humanities, especially history and ethics, and carefully describesimportant distinctions between science and other systems of thought,including theology. Both as an overview of the sciences of life and asthe culmination of a remarkable life in science,This Is Biologywill richly reward professionals and general readers alike.