Ursula Goodenough. The Sacred Depths of Nature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Pp. xxi + 182. $13.95 (Paper).

Abstract

" There exists a certain genre of biology writing which might be called "meditations on the natural history of life." Some classic authors of this genre are Aldo Leopold, Loren Eiseley, and John Janovy. The word "meditations" is appropriate here because these works are similar to religious meditations; they are reflections, often highly personal, on a story, in this case the story of life. Ursula Goodenough's book belongs to this genre. [2] Goodenough opens with some charming autobiographical notes. Her father was a Methodist preacher who subsequently became Professor of the History of Religion at Yale. She became a biologist, currently at Washington University, married, and has five children. She eschewed religious practice until she joined a Presbyterian congregation about twelve years ago. She sings in the choir, recites prayers, listens to sermons, but she is not sure whether she is a Christian or even theist. [3] Hence the project of the book. She proposes to construct a worldview which can be universal and can serve as the foundation of an ethic. She labels her worldview "religious naturalism." Her approach toward laying out this worldview is to present the story of evolution and then to reflect on this story. In presenting the story of evolution (both types - the cosmos and life), she excels. She must be a great teacher. In short and elegantly written chapters, she lays out the origin of the universe, the origin of earth and life, the biochemistry of life, the mechanisms of evolution, the evolution of biodiversity, the development of human consciousness (including the physiology and chemistry of neurological systems), the evolution of sex, and the role of death in the evolutionary process. All of this is presented with remarkable economy, clarity and elegance. Indeed, for the non-biologist who wishes to know the basics of biology, I could not recommend a better primer."(pg 1)