Home

Lewontin

Richard Lewontin was an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and public intellectual whose work helped shape modern evolutionary theory and the critique of genetic determinism. He is known for his influential contributions to population genetics and the study of genetic variation in natural populations.

One of Lewontin’s enduring legacies is the 1972 paper The Apportionment of Human Variation, which showed that

Lewontin also co-authored Not in Our Genes (1984) with Steven Rose and Leon Kamin, a polemic against

Throughout his career, Lewontin held prominent positions in academia, principally at Harvard University, where he contributed

the
majority
of
human
genetic
diversity
resides
within
populations
rather
than
between
them.
This
finding
has
been
widely
cited
in
debates
over
race,
biology,
and
human
variation.
In
collaboration
with
Stephen
Jay
Gould,
he
co-authored
The
Spandrels
of
San
Marco
and
the
Panglossian
Paradigm
(1979),
a
critique
of
the
adaptationist
program
and
a
call
for
considering
developmental
constraints
and
byproducts
in
evolutionary
explanations.
genetic
determinism
that
emphasized
the
importance
of
gene–environment
interactions,
developmental
processes,
and
social
context
in
shaping
phenotypes.
His
work
helped
stimulate
ongoing
discussions
about
the
limits
of
genetics
as
a
sole
predictor
of
complex
traits
and
behaviors.
to
biology,
evolution,
and
the
philosophy
of
science.
His
research
and
public
commentary
influenced
debates
on
science,
society,
and
policy,
highlighting
the
complex
relationship
between
genes,
environment,
and
human
diversity.
He
passed
away
in
2021,
leaving
a
lasting
impact
on
evolutionary
biology
and
the
public
understanding
of
genetics.