You can't change human nature or can you? Advances in genomics, robotics, neuroscience and evolutionary theory seem to call into question what sets humans apart from other creatures.
Two prominent scientists will be at Duke this month to address those questions: Primatologist Frans B.M. de Waal and evolutionary geneticist Richard Lewontin. Their visits are part of the Provost's Lecture Series, whose focus this year is "On Being Human."
"A lot of nonsense has been written on the subject" of human nature, said Lewontin, who will be at Duke Nov. 13. "It is particularly important that geneticists and evolutionists -- tell the non-scientific public what the real facts and complexities are."
Lewontin, a professor of biology and zoology at Harvard University, was a leader in the development of molecular population genetics in the 1960s and 1970s. He is known especially for applying techniques from molecular biology to questions of genetic variation and evolution. In 1972, he wrote a landmark article in which he argued that genetic variation is greater within "races" than between them.
In an e-mail interview, he said his interest in the Provost's Lecture Series stems from his "concern with the problem of how decisions are to be made about scientific questions of public importance."
On Nov. 8, de Waal will talk about "Our Inner Ape," a topic he addressed in a book of the same name. The C.H. Chandler professor of psychology at Emory University and the director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Center in Atlanta, de Waal is known for his work on the social intelligence of primates. He draws parallels between primate and human behavior, from peacemaking to morality to culture.
In the lecture, he will discuss "a bit of human body language, including that of prominent public figures," and experiments he has done on cooperation and fairness. He'll also consider the origin of human language.
The lecture series brings professors from universities in the U.S. and abroad to discuss human nature from the perspective of philosophy, psychology, biology, computer science and law. They spend the day at Duke and give a free, public lecture. Provost Peter Lange said that he has been amazed by "the breadth and loyalty of the audience across the speakers and the series."