"The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

In 1971 Lewis Thomas published an article believed to be a precursor to the Modern Scientific Essay. Unique in its style and wit, Thomas’ paper, The Lives of a Cell, argues that the uniformities connecting life on earth are in fact simple, comparing it to the likeness of a cell. Although first appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine, and certainly seen, due to its excessive scientific argot, as an essay written for those in the biological or medical field, Thomas’ essay was able to transcend the boundaries between doctor and layman by providing an insightful look into the human condition, successfully attracting an audience far beyond any single profession. Doubtless, this was the intent of Thomas in his essay -- to blend old anthropological thought with new biological fact, to entwine human feeling with scientific reason, to compare the inconceivably massive to the inconceivably minute, but most importantly, to inform mankind about our arrogance toward our role on this planet. To prove this, Thomas argues numerous follies in our understanding of how the world works, most eminent being the fact that, contrary to belief, “man is embedded in nature” (Thomas 358).
Having degrees from both Princeton and Harvard, Lewis Thomas is nothing if not scholarly, yet the lack of pedantic tone in the writing is due to his analytical and at times satirical style. A style which is most rewarding in that it gives Thomas the ability to reason back and forth with his readers about the life in which we live, oftentimes poking fun at the narcissistic pedestals we’ve placed ourselves upon. Perhaps his greatest strength, however, lies in his ability to personify the world around us. His personification of biological components helps to add fresh perspectives and to bring forth ideas of our equivalence with nature rather than superiority. For this very reason I see that Lewis Thomas has certainly accomplished his purpose, for surely an essay that could be written for few but appeal to all could inform mankind that we don’t rule all of earth’s functions, but rather, only a few.

Endosymbionts
(Illustration by Jennifer E. Fairman)
This illustration quite clearly depicts the comparison of Earth to a single cell that Lewis Thomas makes in his essay. Like in the essay, the Earth is seen to be a powerful cell while the rest of life on Earth like the endosymbionts which are found within it -- part of the cell and necessary to its growth, but ultimately independent.