1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910456733303321

Autore

Kupiec Jean-Jacques

Titolo

The origin of individuals [[electronic resource] /] / Jean-Jacques Kupiec

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Jersey, : World Scientific, 2009

ISBN

1-282-44128-0

9786612441288

981-283-368-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (274 p.)

Disciplina

571.8

Soggetti

Developmental genetics

Biodiversity

Molecular evolution

Individual differences

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bilbiographical references (p. 225-242) and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

Foreword; Acknowledgements; Contents; Chapter 1: Five Arguments for a New Theory of Biological Individuation; Chapter 2: What is a Probabilistic Process? Summary of the chapter; Chapter 3: The Determinism of Molecular Biology Summary of the chapter; Chapter 4: The Contradiction in Genetic Determinism Summary of the chapter; Chapter 5: Self-Organisation Does Not Resolve the Contradiction in Genetic Determinism Summary of the chapter; Chapter 6: Hetero-organisation Summary of the chapter; Chapter 7: Biology's Blind Spot Summary of the chapter

Conclusion: A Research Programme and Ethical Principle based on OntophylogenesisGlossary; List of Abbreviations; List of Figures; Bibliography; Author Index; Subject Index

Sommario/riassunto

In the 17th century, Descartes put forth the metaphor of the machine to explain the functioning of living beings. In the 18th century, La Mettrie extended the metaphor to man. The clock was then used as the paradigm of the machine. In the 20th century, this metaphor still held but the clock was replaced by a computer. Nowadays, the organism is viewed as a robot obeying signals emanating from a computer program



controlled by genetic information. This book shows that such a conception leads to contradictions not only in the theory of biology but also in its experimental research program, thereby