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Although it is possible to quibble about exact figures, the abiding message of the Kinsey Reports, ironically supported by the work of the predecessors whom Kinsey scorned as working from much too small and skewed samples, stands: sexual behaviour in the human, male and female, is far more diverse than the model set up by conventional morality would have us believe. For many they carried the reassuring message Youre not alone.
Lesley A. Hall is at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 IBN, UK.
Old Wine, New Flasks: Reflections on Science and Jewish Tradition By Roald Hoffman and Shira Leibowitz SchmidtW. H. Freeman: 1997. Pp 362. $28.95, 17.95 George Klein
The authors one a Nobel laureate in chemistry, the other a Talmudic scholar and teacher who is the mother of six children offer the reader juxtaposed tales of science and Jewish religious tradition, in which scientists, doing experiment and theory, face concerns similar to those of human beings in the Bible, the sages of Talmud, and thoughtful people throughout the ages. There is, they say, a parallel not only in subject matter, but in the logic applied. There is a set of hypotheses, precedent, a way of thinking . There is incredible continuity and clever, clever thought.
This is a well written book. It is witty and erudite, full of the most unexpected associations and contrasts. It alternates between the sublime and the mundane, between deep thought and funny anecdotes while jumping, entertainingly, between different styles, including fictive e-mail exchanges and short theatrical plays. Both authors must be great teachers. Nevertheless, the basic idea of the book, as expressed in the title metaphor, is an absurdity, or, to use a Hungarian proverb, an iron ring made out of wood.
Even though the Talmudist author is apparently well versed in modern science, her reasoning rests, naturally, on the firm basis of her religious convictions. This includes a more or less outspoken belief in the divine origin of some of the ancient texts. It could hardly be otherwise, as the biblical stories about the creation of the world, the words and miracles of God, and His direct intervention in the lives and doings of His people provide the...