Gordon Rattray Taylor
Encyclopedia
Gordon Rattray Taylor was a popular British author
and journalist
. He is most famous for his 1968 book The Biological Time Bomb, which heralded the rise of biotechnology
and for his 1983 book The Great Evolution Mystery.
public school, before studying natural sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge
. In 1933 he entered journalism. During the war he worked in the Psychological Warfare division of SHAEF. In 1958 he joined the BBC
where he wrote and devised science television programs such as Eye on Research. In 1966 he became a full-time author. He served as a member of the Society for Psychical Research
, London (1976–81).
, organ transplant
s, as well as research into memory
and controlling mood
s.
, and said that the origin of species and the mechanisms for evolution
are still deep mysteries that have not been solved. Taylor supported Lamarck over Darwin.
Taylor discussed the possibility of an inherent self-stabilization of the genome
as an important selective factor in evolution. He was supportive of the idea of Lancelot Law Whyte
, the evolutionary ideas highlighted in Whyte’s book Internal factors of evolution in which no mutation
is due entirely to chance: only those that meet the internal demands of the genome can be utilized in evolutionary processes.
Taylor discussed his own evolutionary mechanism called "masking theory" which is the notion that blueprints for building phenotypes can be hidden for millions of years before suddenly being expressed by the species
.
Mark Ridley
negatively reviewed the book concluding that Taylor had a "complete lack of biological imagination". Ridley states that Taylor appears to have failed to have familiarised himself with Darwinian thinking before criticising it, and particularly that Taylor has made the "familiar and elementary" mistake of conflating natural selection
with chance:
Ridley states that Taylor's alternative to Darwinian evolution is described "only in general outline", involving "Lamarckism
and other inarticulated internal factors".
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He is most famous for his 1968 book The Biological Time Bomb, which heralded the rise of biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and for his 1983 book The Great Evolution Mystery.
Biography
Gordon Rattray Taylor was born in Eastbourne on 11 January 1911, and educated at Radley CollegeRadley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
public school, before studying natural sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. In 1933 he entered journalism. During the war he worked in the Psychological Warfare division of SHAEF. In 1958 he joined the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
where he wrote and devised science television programs such as Eye on Research. In 1966 he became a full-time author. He served as a member of the Society for Psychical Research
Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research is a non-profit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand "events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal by promoting and supporting important research in this area" and to "examine allegedly paranormal phenomena...
, London (1976–81).
Writing
In The Biological Time Bomb Taylor heralded the advent of artificial inseminationArtificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
, organ transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
s, as well as research into memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
and controlling mood
Mood (psychology)
A mood is a relatively long lasting emotional state. Moods differ from emotions in that they are less specific, less intense, and less likely to be triggered by a particular stimulus or event....
s.
Evolution
Taylor wrote a book on evolution called The Great Evolution Mystery first released in 1983 with a second edition in 1984. Taylor criticized neo-DarwinismNeo-Darwinism
Neo-Darwinism is the 'modern synthesis' of Darwinian evolution through natural selection with Mendelian genetics, the latter being a set of primary tenets specifying that evolution involves the transmission of characteristics from parent to child through the mechanism of genetic transfer, rather...
, and said that the origin of species and the mechanisms for evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
are still deep mysteries that have not been solved. Taylor supported Lamarck over Darwin.
Taylor discussed the possibility of an inherent self-stabilization of the genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
as an important selective factor in evolution. He was supportive of the idea of Lancelot Law Whyte
Lancelot Law Whyte
Lancelot Law Whyte was a Scottish financier and industrial engineer.He claimed to have worked with Albert Einstein on the unified field theory. He further claimed that this work was based on the theory of the 18th century natural philosopher Roger Boscovich.Whyte proposed something he called "the...
, the evolutionary ideas highlighted in Whyte’s book Internal factors of evolution in which no mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
is due entirely to chance: only those that meet the internal demands of the genome can be utilized in evolutionary processes.
Taylor discussed his own evolutionary mechanism called "masking theory" which is the notion that blueprints for building phenotypes can be hidden for millions of years before suddenly being expressed by the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
.
Mark Ridley
Mark Ridley (zoologist)
Mark Ridley is a British zoologist and writer on evolution.He studied at both Oxford and Cambridge in the 1980s , was a professor at Emory University, Atlanta, U.S.A., and - as of 2005 - works at the Department of Zoology, Oxford University...
negatively reviewed the book concluding that Taylor had a "complete lack of biological imagination". Ridley states that Taylor appears to have failed to have familiarised himself with Darwinian thinking before criticising it, and particularly that Taylor has made the "familiar and elementary" mistake of conflating natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
with chance:
Ridley states that Taylor's alternative to Darwinian evolution is described "only in general outline", involving "Lamarckism
Lamarckism
Lamarckism is the idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring . It is named after the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck , who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories...
and other inarticulated internal factors".
Books
- Sex in History (1954)
- Economics for the Exasperated (1948)
- Conditions of Happiness
- Are Workers Human?
- The Angel Makers
- The Science of Life: A pictorial history of biology (1967)
- The Biological Time Bomb (1968) ISBN 0500010463
- Rethink: A Paraprimitive Solution (1972) ISBN 0436516357
- Rethink: Radical Proposals to Save a Disintegrating World (1974) ISBN 0140218319
- The Doomsday Book: Can the World Survive? (1st ed. : 1970 / ed.1972) ISBN 058603604 /00500010676
- How to Avoid the Future (1978) ISBN 0436516373
- Salute to British Genius (1978) ISBN 0436516373
- The natural history of the mind (1981) ISBN 0586083863
- The Great Evolution Mystery