Nature/Culture: The Tissue Culture King

In preparation for the SymbioticA Workshop over the weekend I read ‘The Tissue Culture King’ a short story by the evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley. The story concerns an English biologist held prisoner by a ‘lost tribe’ somewhere in darkest Africa who, motivated by the desire to experiment, convinces the ruling elite to use biotechnology to reinterpret and transform the religious practices of the society. I was fascinated by the detailed descriptions of the science involved in tissue culture. To my mind the technology described is far more  advanced than I expected for 1926 when the story was written. Less surprising in the historical context but far more jarring was the pervasive racism implicit in the text. Discussing this with other members of the workshop it’s clear that this reaction highlights the deep connection between science and culture throughout history, and all the inherent biases scientists bring to the ‘rational’ pursuit of truth. In the current debate between scientific or rational ‘truths’ and other forms of belief, it’s interesting to consider whether it’s possible for supposedly rational people to see our biases without the benefit of hindsight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Huxley

Link to the full text of the story

Is science a religion? The unimpeachably rational Richard Dawkins at thehumanist.org