RESURRECTING THE BODY - HAS POSTMODERNISM HAD ANY EFFECT ON BIOLOGY

While postmodernism has had very little influence in biology (for reas ons discussed in the paper), it can provide a framework for discussing the context in which biology is done. Here, four biological views of the body/self are contrasted: the neural, immunological, genetic, and phenotypic bodies. Each physical view of the body extrapolates into a different model of the body politic, and each posits a different relat ionship between bodies of knowledge. The neural view of the body model s a body politic wherein society is defined by its culture and laws. T he genetic view privileges views of polities based on ethnicity and ra ce. The immune body extrapolates into polities that can defend themsel ves against other such polities. The phenotypic view of the body polit ic stands in opposition to these three major perspectives and integrat es them without giving any predominance. The view of science as a ''ne ural'' body of knowledge contends that science is aperspectival and ob jective. The perspective of the ''immune'' body is that science exists to defend the interests of its creators. The genetic view of science is that science is the basis of all culture. The extrapolation of the phenotypic body to science insists upon the utilitarian rationale for scientific enterprises. In all instances, the genetic view of the body /body politic/body of science is presently in ascendance.