Jacques Monod

A scientist who believes in god suffers from schizophrenia.

Summary

Jacques Monod (1910 - 1976) was a French biologist who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine. He was also a fine musician and esteemed writer on the philosophy of science.

His ideas influenced the concept of the Unity of Determinism/Chance (see Vital Unconscious and Biocentric Principle).

Ideas

• Evolution - Monod saw evolution as a strict sequence of chance (random Mutations) and necessity (of survival).
• He, along with Francois Jacob and Andre Lwoff, discovered the process by which genes manufacture the proteins needed for individual development.
• This work led to the formulation, by Monod and Jacob, of a theory explaining gene action and particularly how genes are switched on and off as necessary.
• they postulated the existence of a molecule, messenger RNA (ribonucleic acid), that carries the genetic information necessary for protein synthesis from the operon to the ribosomes, where proteins are made.