biology

So Human an Animal

So Human an Animal is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand So Human an Animal rather than just read about it. In short: So Human an Animal: How We Are Shaped by Surroundings and Events, is a book written by René Dubos and published by Scribner in 1968. It won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Key takeaways

So Human an Animal belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect So Human an Animal to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of So Human an Animal from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

So Human an Animal: How We Are Shaped by Surroundings and Events, is a book written by René Dubos and published by Scribner in 1968. It won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Themes In the book, Dubos, a microbiologist and pathologist, explores the thesis that technology is dehumanizing us and that science needs to be humanized. In his 1976 book The Existential Pleasures of Engineering, American engineer and writer Samuel C. Florman identifies this book as "an important feature of the antitechnology crusade".

References

External links So Human an Animal at Open Library

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with So Human an Animal

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what So Human an Animal claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to So Human an Animal before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about So Human an Animal ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of So Human an Animal

In research: So Human an Animal appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses So Human an Animal in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: So Human an Animal is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1968 non-fiction books, Charles Scribner's Sons books, Psychology book stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for So Human an Animal outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study So Human an Animal in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what So Human an Animal means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain So Human an Animal out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is So Human an Animal in simple terms?

So Human an Animal: How We Are Shaped by Surroundings and Events, is a book written by René Dubos and published by Scribner in 1968. It won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Why does So Human an Animal matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study So Human an Animal?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on So Human an Animal.