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Erwin Schrödinger and His Contribution to A New Understanding Of Living Systems

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Erwin Schrödinger’s World View

Part of the book series: Theory and Decision Library ((TDLA,volume 16))

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Abstract

In the great Encyclopedia Britannica one finds Erwin Schrödinger portrayed as an outstanding scholar, a scientist displaying extraordinary intellectual versatility:

Of all the physicists of his generation Schrödinger stands out because of his extraordinary intellectual versatility. He was at horne in the philosophy and literature of all of the Western languages, and his popular scientific writing in English, which he had learned as a child, is among the best of its kind ... Because of his exceptional gifts Schrödinger was able in the course of his life to make significant contributions to nearly all branches of science and philosophy, an almost unique accomplishment at a time when the trend was toward increasing technical specialization in these disciplines.

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Notes

  1. The New Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 10, Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., Chicago 1985, p. 538.

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  2. See R. Ried!, “Order in Living Organisms: System Conditions in Macro-Evolution, Wiley, New York 1979. (See also R. Riedl, in the present volume.)

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  3. E. Schrödinger, What is Life? & Mind and Matter, Cambridge University Press, London 1967, p. 1, (What is Life? is based on lectures which Schrödinger had delivered in 1943; Mind and Matter originated fmm lectures delivered in 1956.)

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  4. ibid.,p.1

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  5. ibid., p. 1

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  6. ibid.,p.1

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  7. E. Schrödinger, Meine Weltansicht, Zsolnay, Vienna-Hamburg 1961.

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  8. See on this F. M. Wuketits, Zustand und Bewußtsein: Leben als biophilosophische Synthese, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg, 1985.

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  9. See J. Monod, Chance and Necessity, Knopf, New York 1971.

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  10. C. Grobstein, The Strategy of Life, Freeman, San Franeisco 1974, p. 7.

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  11. On the notion of open systems see partieularly the works by Ludwig v. Bertalanffy, e.g., his General System Theory, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1973. On the relevanee of this notion in eontemporary biology see also F. M. Wuketits, Biologische Erkenntnis: Grundlagen und Probleme, Fischer, Stuttgart 1983.

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  12. E. Schrödinger, op. cit., note 3, p. 79.

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  13. ibid., p. 79.

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  14. W. Yourgrau, “Marginal Notes on Schrödinger”, in A. D. Breck and W. Yourgrau (ed.), Biology, History and Natural Philosophy, Plenum Press, New York, p. 340.

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  15. Full details in F. M. Wuketits, op. eil., note 8.

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  16. ibid.

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  17. E. Schrödinger, op. cit., note 3.

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  18. ibid., p. 81.

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  19. Henee, there are connections between biology, natural philosophy, and ethics. See F. M. Wuketits, op. eil., note 8.

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  20. See E. Schrödinger, op. cit., note 3. See also R. Olby, „Schrödinger’s Problem: What is Life?“, Journal ofthe History of Biology 4,1971, pp. 119-148.

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  21. See on this his Mind and Matter, note 3.

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  22. See G. Stent, „That was the Moleeular Biology that was“, Science 160, 1968 (pp. 390-395). See also E, Oeser, System, Klassifikation, Evolution, Braumüller, Vienna-Stuttgart 1974.

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  23. G. E. Allen, Life Science in the Twentieth Century, Carnbridge University Press, London 1978, p. 198.

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  24. See on this J. D. Watson, Molecular Biology of the Gene, W. A. Benjamin, New York-Amsterdarn 1965.

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  25. E. Schrödinger, op. cit., note 3, p. 82.

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  26. ibid.

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  27. ibid., p. 65.

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  28. On genes from the view point of molecular biology see again J. D. Watson, op. cit., note 24.

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  29. The story of the discovery of the DNA and its structure is told by J. D. Watson, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of the DNA, New American Library, New York-Toronto 1968.

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  30. See W. Wieser, Gewebe des Lebens: Ein Leitfaden durch die zeitgenössische Biologie, Sehünemann, Berlin 1959.

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  31. See P. Hoyningen-Huene and F. M. Wuketits (eds.), Reductionism and Systems Theory in the Life Sciences, D. Reidel, Dordrecht-Boston-Laneaster 1989.

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  32. See note 3.

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  33. See M. Eigen and R. Winkler, Das Spiel: Naturgesetze steuern den Zufall, Piper, Munich - Zurich 1975.

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  34. See F. M. Wuketits, op. eit., note 8.

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  35. See M. Eigen, Stufen zum Leben: Diefrühe Evolution im Visier der Molekularbiologie, Munich-Zurich 1987.

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  36. A recent attempt to develop such a universal theory of evolution and to show philosophie al implications see H. Hörz and K.- F. Wessei, Philosophische Entwicklungstheorie, VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin 1983.

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  37. Miguel de Unarnuno, quoted by Schrödinger, op. cit., note 3, p. 81.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Konrad Lorenz Institut für Evolution und Kognition, Adolf Lorenz Gasse 2, Altenberg, Austria, 3422

    Franz M. Wuketits

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  1. Franz M. Wuketits
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Graz, Vienna, Austria

    Johann Götschl

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Wuketits, F.M. (1992). Erwin Schrödinger and His Contribution to A New Understanding Of Living Systems. In: Götschl, J. (eds) Erwin Schrödinger’s World View. Theory and Decision Library, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2428-7_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2428-7_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5071-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2428-7

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