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Philosophy of Systems Biology pp 193–204Cite as

From Biological Research to a Philosophy of Systems Biology: The Ground Covered and Some Challenges That Lie Ahead

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Part of the book series: History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences ((HPTL,volume 20))

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“Despite the progress in explanatory adequacy that manifests itself in the practice of systems biology and the notable advances in thinking about explanation in the philosophy of systems biology, the objective of a comprehensive explanatory integration remains out of reach. Mutually complementary contributions from theoretical and pragmatic approaches promise to produce more reliable explanations, as systems biology continues to develop. But as complete understanding of biological systems continuously eludes us, it appears that the primary benefit from studying problems of explanation in systems biology is philosophical: it puts in context questions of methodology in science, as well as greater epistemological questions concerning meaning and the limits of intelligibility.”

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Contributions by Bertalanffy (1968), Rosen (1967), Mesarovic (1968), Ashby (1956), and Wiener (1948), are among those from which the systems-theoretic stream of systems biology has drawn basic concepts.

  2. 2.

    General System Theory was informally introduced by Bertalanffy at a seminar in the University of Chicago in 1937; 31 years, that is, before his comprehensive formal treatment of the subject in the homonymous book.

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Suggested Readings by Constantinos Mekios

  • Mekios, C. (2015). Explanation in systems biology: Is it all about mechanisms? In P.-A. Braillard & C. Malaterre (Eds.), Explanation in biology: An enquiry into the diversity of explanatory patterns in the life sciences (pp. 47–72). Dordrecht: Springer.

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  • Mekios, C. (2016). Organizing principles as tools for bridging the gap between system theory and biological experimentation. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 38, 65–89.

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  • Mekios, C. (in press). The position of biology in systems biology. Ludus Vitalis, XXIV(46).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Stonehill College, 320 Washington Street, Easton, MA, 02357, USA

    Constantinos Mekios

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  1. Constantinos Mekios
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Correspondence to Constantinos Mekios .

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  1. Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Sara Green

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Mekios, C. (2017). From Biological Research to a Philosophy of Systems Biology: The Ground Covered and Some Challenges That Lie Ahead. In: Green, S. (eds) Philosophy of Systems Biology. History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47000-9_18

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