The Classical/Balance Controversy:  Evolutionary Biology    and Social Policy in the Fifties and Sixties
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{'SignBlockName': 'Alicia Armstrong', 'PO_EMAI': 'aarmstro@nsf.gov', 'PO_PHON': '7032924743'}
The so-called "classical/balance" controversy pitted against each               other two of the most charismatic figures in genetics and                       evolutionary biology in one of the most bitter arguments ever waged             in those fields.  The debate centered ostensibly on the issue of                genetic variation within species.  The classical view held that there           is little such variation and that natural selection weeds this out.             The balance view held that there is much genetic variation within               species and that variation is actually maintained by natural                    selection.  Throughout the 1950's and 1960's, H. J. Muller, the                 principal champion of the "classical" view, and Theodosius                      Dobzhansky, who promoted the "balance" position, were locked in                 dispute, in part on account of their personalities, in part on                  account of the nature of the scientific issues involved, and in part            on account of the social-policy issues connected with the dispute.                                                                                              Dr. Beatty will examine this controversy,  dealing not only with its            long lasting intractability and its sudden transformation in the late           1960's, but also with the more general nature of evolutionary biology           since the heralded evolutionary synthesis of the 1920's and 1930's.             For, the classical/balance controversy is a revealing microcosm of              the post-synthesis period.  In the first place, it illustrates the              priorities of evolutionary biologists as they turned from the success           of the synthesis to other issues, both long standing ones which had             been set aside during the formation of the synthesis and new ones               which arose out of it.  The controversy exemplifies as well as the              methodological, epistemological, and conceptual problems that                   befuddled the pursuit of those post-synthesis goals.  Moreover, the             classical/balance controversy illustrates the sorts of social policy            (broadly speaking, "eugenic") concerns that were inspired by                    synthesis and post-synthesis developments, and by concurrent social             and political changes.  Besides scientific papers and books published           in connection with the controversy, Dr. Beatty will also examine a              number of publications concerning the broader social implications of            the dispute.  He will also use transcripts and reports of meetings,             correspondence, unpublished papers, diaries, notebooks, lecture                 notes, exams, etc.  He will also interview a number of scientists who           are still active and were involved in the debate.  This well-rounded            study promises to make a major contribution to our understanding not            only of the development of contemporary evolutionary biology but also           of the ways social forces help to shape how science works.
{'FirstName': 'John', 'LastName': 'Beatty', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'John Beatty', 'EmailAddress': 'beatty@tc.umn.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000372700', 'StartDate': '07/01/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
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{'Code': '1353', 'Text': 'Hist & Philosophy of SET'}
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