An Uncommon Mind

Samanth Subramanian’s latest book delves into the life and times of JBS Haldane

JBS Haldane (1892–1964) was a “Darwinian preacher leading his tribe, setting down the virtues of reason, experiment, and clarity... ushering people into the deep, elegant mysteries of science”. Samanth Subramanian’s latest book A Dominant Character is a riveting biography about this trail-blazing British geneticist and physiologist, whom the philosopher CP Snow called the “most learned scientist of his time”. What made Haldane one of the most famous scientists of his age was “not just his science but also his writing and politics — the first clear and illuminating, the second unbending and forthright, both deeply attractive during a time of shifting, murky moralities”.

Haldane wrote extensively in newspapers and magazines, reaching out to readers through columns and incisive opinion pieces, relishing his role as “a communicator of scientific truth”. He was a rare breed of scientist — deeply involved in politics and deeply committed to popularising science and opening up scientific research to the public. A Marxist, Haldane believed science must strive to “improve or perfect the way people lived”.