Mayonnaise and the Origin of Life: Thoughts of Minds and Molecules

by Harold J. Morowitz

The writings of Harold Morowitz are well known to readers of the ‘New York Times’, ‘Psychology Today’, ‘Science 82’, and ‘Hospital Practice’. Although there is great breadth of subject matter, a common thread weaves its way through these writings. Each essay in its own idiosyncratic way asks the questions “whit is life?” Whether the author is watching a dying sea lion pup in the Galapagos, contemplating the trial of Socrates in Athens, or sitting in his laboratory, focusing on the beauty of biochemistry, his thoughts always bear on the nature, meaning, and purpose of life. Morowitz does not write principally about science. He rather addresses the way in which science illuminates our humanity and provides clues to who we are, where we have come from, whither we are going. While many of his pieces start with a scientific theme, they all bridge the two cultures and put man firmly in his place as the irreducible element in all scientific analysis. Thus, the chemical structure of mayonnaise leads to thoughts about individuality; musings and E. coli lead to an appreciation of the warm humanitarianism of its discoverer; the internal combustion engine leads to the social role of science; and the evolution-creation controversy leads to the agony of a pre-Darwinian cleric wanting to have it both ways. Morowitz accomplishes all this with a light touch or, as he once noted, “I see the cosmic within the nitty-gritty and the trivial within the infinite”.

Genres: Science, Biology

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Harold Joseph Morowitz was an American biophysicist who studied the application of thermodynamics to living systems. Author of numerous books and articles, his work includes technical monographs as well as essays. The origin of life was his primary research interest for more than fifty years. He was the Robinson Professor of Biology and Natural Philosophy at George Mason University after a long career at Yale.

Reviews

[Christine]

The title tells it all--how molecules in a compound like mayonnaise made non-plant cells possible. Fascinating application of everyday examples to simple yet profound scientific principles.

UPDATE 2024: I just love this book! Read it again, 20 years after reading it for the first time. Reminds me to ponder how seemingly unrelated subjects can, when reduced to their essence, transform or create entirely new spheres of thinking. Simply outstanding.