Dominant Character

J.B.S. Haldane, scientist extraordinaireborn in Britain yet spiritually bound to Indiaremains one of the most enigmatic geniuses of the modern era. Here is a man who saw action in two world wars, engaged in the most radical politics of his day, conducted groundbreaking scientific research, and wrote with flair and convictionyet Haldane's universe remains shrouded in mystery. Award-winning author Samanth Subramanian's latest offering undoes this travesty. Besides shedding light on Haldane's contributions to genetics and evolutionary biologyhe was the first to calculate the rate at which mutations occur and accumulate in genesthe book illuminates Haldane's inner worldhis towering intellect, his radical vision of society, his provocative philosophy, and his attempts a wrestling with the essential moral questions that scientific progress must raise. Equally, the book dwells on Haldane's years in Indiahis journey to the nation; his affiliation with the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta; his attachment to the Genetics and Biometry Laboratory in Bhubaneshwar (where he died). Dronamraju's description of Haldane as ';the last man who knew everything' was, at its simplest, an acknowledgement of his command over multiple subjects. But it was also an astute observation that Haldane's era was the last time when the realms of scientific knowledge were limited enough for a single person to apprehend in near-entirety. To know everything was to see the forces of the world unified and to conceive of life in its full complexity. A Dominant Characterwill give readers a taste of that heady sensation.