Looking into the Philosophy and History of Genetics-Article

The theory of Darwin described the factors of Evolution and the natural selection of organisms in the most general and theoretical terms without specifying in many instances the precise nature and mechanism of their operation. This is true of the phenomena of heredity variability which Darwin 'treated as given'. But it was Darwin who set a stage for a detailed analysis of these phenomena and it is here that the roots of genetics as a science lie, although one could trace its history to an earlier stage of biological science and selection with due regard for the contribution of a whole constellation of plant breeders.

However, even before The Origin of Species by Darwin was published, Gregor Mendel began his studies of heredity of various races of peas which he summarized in 1965 in a seminal work, the appearance of which marks the beginning of the real history of genetics as an experimental science. Mendel discovered that when organisms that had contrasting, opposing characters ( for example green and yellow coloured peas ) were cross-bred, the first generation of the hybrids reproduced the character of one of the parents - the yellow peas - without any shades of the green. This character - yellow - was found to be the dominant colour in relation to the latent character - green, although the latter was not destroyed in the subsequent generations. In the second and the third generations there is segregation with a partial return to the initial parent ones. Mendel managed to pinpoint the exact distribution of the characteristics. Mendelian laws/rules opened up a new era in the history of analyzing problems of heredity and variability.

The Darwinian theory initiated the materialistic tradition in genetics, it defined the general approaches to the issues of heredity and variability. Darwinian philosophical views are sufficiently well known; they are a vivid reflection of the views of natural historical materialism with spontaneous and sometimes quite contradictory elements of the dialectical interpretation of the complex interactions of living systems.

The initial stages of the historical evolution of genetics, which established itself as a seperate discipline, but for a time 'lost touch' with the fruitful Darwinian methodological foundation, saw the emergance of a wide range of philosophical viewpoints.

There was an inevitable resultant deterioration of the positions of natural historical materialism on the lines of mechanism and metaphysics. In this respect genetics had ' to do it all over again', rediscovering many things which Darwinian theory had already discarded. But here, like in a sphere of methodology, the following new 're-uniting' of genetics and the Darwinian theory of evolution brought results which were as fruitful as those achieved in the sphere of heredity and variability theory.

The Mendelian methodology of scientific research contained, besides the new highly scientific and fruitful elements which made the methodology of genetical analysis more precise and orderly, features which were plainly mechanical; however the Mendelian theory stayed within the broad confines of materialism.

Genetics course approached and developed itself as an entire historical development. This process, however, did not proceed automatically and was not without conflicts. It embraced a whole period of historical development associated with the emergence of new socialist relations, with the breakdown of outdated traditions in science and with a bitter and irreconcilably ideological struggle. Its path is marked not only with successes but also by failures and temporary setbacks with the overall progressive orientation maintained and strengthened.