Philosophy of Systems Biology: Perspectives from Scientists and Philosophers

✍ Scribed by Sara Green (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer International Publishing
• Year: 2017
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 273
• Series: History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The emergence of systems biology raises many fascinating questions: What does it mean to take a systems approach to problems in biology? To what extent is the use of mathematical and computational modelling changing the life sciences? How does the availability of big data influence research practices? What are the major challenges for biomedical research in the years to come? This book addresses such questions of relevance not only to philosophers and biologists but also to readers interested in the broader implications of systems biology for science and society.

The book features reflections and original work by experts from across the disciplines including systems biologists, philosophers, and interdisciplinary scholars investigating the social and educational aspects of systems biology. In response to the same set of questions, the experts develop and defend their personal perspectives on the distinctive character of systems biology and the challenges that lie ahead. Readers are invited to engage with different views on the questions addressed, and may explore numerous themes relating to the philosophy of systems biology.

This edited work will appeal to scholars and all levels, from undergraduates to researchers, and to those interested in a variety of scholarly approaches such as systems biology, mathematical and computational modelling, cell and molecular biology, genomics, systems theory, and of course, philosophy of biology.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xviii
Introduction to Philosophy of Systems Biology....Pages 1-23
Systems Biology: Negotiating Between Holism and Reductionism....Pages 25-36
A System Approach to Cancer. From Things to Relations....Pages 37-47
Systems Biology in the Broad Sense....Pages 49-58
Enactments of Systems Biology....Pages 59-67
Systems Biology, Choices Arising....Pages 69-78
An Affinity to Theories in Biology....Pages 79-86
Interdisciplinarity, Philosophy and Systems Biology....Pages 87-97
Problems in Mathematizing Systems Biology....Pages 99-107
Towards a Methodology for Systems Biology....Pages 109-116
Exploring the Metabolic Marketplace Through the Lens of Systems Biology....Pages 117-124
Moving from Genetics to Systems Biology....Pages 125-134
The Importance of Being Dynamic: Systems Biology Beyond the Hairball....Pages 135-146
Extracting Phenomena, Integrating Explanations, and Styling Representations: Some Frontiers for Philosophizing About Biology....Pages 147-156
Systems Biology: Science or Technoscience?....Pages 157-167
Biological Complexity and the Need for Computational Approaches....Pages 169-180
Systems Biology Through the Concept of Emergence....Pages 181-191
From Biological Research to a Philosophy of Systems Biology: The Ground Covered and Some Challenges That Lie Ahead....Pages 193-204
Complexity Organizing Principles: Prerequisites for Life....Pages 205-214
Systems Biology Modeling Practices: Reflections of a Philosopher-Ethnographer....Pages 215-225
Systems Biology Beyond the Genome....Pages 227-235
A View on Systems Biology Beyond Scale and Method....Pages 237-245
From a Fascination with Arrow Diagrams to Witnessing a Tipping Point in Biology....Pages 247-256
From Microscopes to Macroscopes: Advancing Biomedical Research Through Systems Approaches....Pages 257-265

✦ Subjects

Philosophy of Science;Systems Biology