These three 1966 lectures by Noble laureate Crick explain why "vitalism," the idea that an intangible life force beyond the grasp of science distinguishes the animate from the inanimate, is itself dead. In his first lecture he dismisses vitalism as unnecessary; in the second he explains why he believes it to be unnecessary due to his understanding of DNA, RNA and their associated array of enzymes; in the third, he predicts that vitalism, in which everyone believed in the past, and some believe in the present, will in the near future be the exclusive territory of cranks. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)