The present volume aims at giving a discussion ot the problems ot reductionism in contemporary life sciences. It contains six papers which deals with reduction/reductionism in different fields ot biological research. Also, the holistic perspective, 1. e. the systems view, is discussed in some ot the papers. The message ot this discussion Is that - whereas reductionism is indeed an important strategy - the systems approach is needed. It is argued by some ot the authors that organisms are complex systems and not just heaps of molecules, 50 that the analytical method does not suffice. Recent developments in systems theory offer the possibility to install a more comprehensive view ot living systems what can be seen particularly in the field ot evolutionary biology. It is true that any organismic activity is molecular, this is to say that it is based on molecular mechanisms. But it is also true that the whole organism displays certain patterns ot behavior which are not just molecular. Any organism can be described as a system ot different levels ot organization different levels ot order and complexity - and it is important, theretore, to study all ot the organizational levels and to see their peculiarities. It should be obvious, however, that there is not one problem ot reduction/reductionism, but that there are many problems linked together and that these problems appear at different levels ot biological research and bio philosophical reflections.
Erscheinungsdatum: 05.10.2011

lgrsnf/A:\Springer\bok%3A978-94-009-1003-4.pdf

nexusstc/Reductionism and Systems Theory in the Life Sciences: Some Problems and Perspectives/298d73a334fd35dd12a992533b4d88dc.pdf

zlib/Society, Politics & Philosophy/Paul Hoyningen-Huene, Franz M. Wuketits (auth.), Paul Hoyningen-Huene, Franz M. Wuketits (eds.)/Reductionism and Systems Theory in the Life Sciences: Some Problems and Perspectives_2238718.pdf

Springer Science + Business Media BV

Springer London, Limited

Kluwer

Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1989, PS, 2011

Theory and decision library, Dordrecht, 1989

Springer Nature, Dordrecht, 2012

Netherlands, Netherlands

lg1069752

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Front Matter....Pages i-v
Preface....Pages 1-2
Organisms, Vital Forces, and Machines: Classical Controversies and the Contemporary Discussion ‘Reductionism vs. Holism’....Pages 3-28
Epistemological Reductionism in Biology: Intuitions, Explications, and Objections....Pages 29-44
Sociobiology and Reductionism....Pages 45-83
The Mind-Body Problem: Some Neurobiological Reflections....Pages 85-135
Is the Program of Molecular Biology Reductionistic?....Pages 137-159
The Variance Allocation Hypothesis of Stasis and Punctuation....Pages 161-185
Back Matter....Pages 187-189

2013-12-12