>>> Why ,then, did they do it? Segerstrale comes up with the cleverest part of the book, the late Pierre Bourdieu's conception of "moral capital". The critics wanted "moral capital" to help with their personal struggles in academe for greater economic rewards and public recognition as staunch anti-racists and egalitarians.<<<
I'd add to Sam's perceptive comments on this issue that the question "Why then did they do it?" presupposes that they did, in fact, do it. I'd certainly not claim to have done vast amounts of rigorous sociological research into this one, but I've done a fair bit of digging about in the annals of the Sociobiology Wars for various purposes, and as far as I can tell, the Lewontin/Rose axis were by no means the biggest noisemakers. They tended to make their attacks in the New York Review of Books, but that's not exactly the world's most prominent forum. The debate only went big-time when it was picked up on by more mainstream media, and in general, the newspaper stories tended to be triggered by Dawkins et al complaining that the politically correct thugs were oppressing them by giving their books shitty reviews in the NYRB. I doubt I'll ever have time or resource to prove this point, but I think it could be supported. dd ___________________________________________________ Email Disclaimer This communication is for the attention of the named recipient only and should not be passed on to any other person. Information relating to any company or security, is for information purposes only and should not be interpreted as a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security. The information on which this communication is based has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable, but we do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice. All e-mail messages, and associated attachments, are subject to interception and monitoring for lawful business purposes. ___________________________________________________
