Overview

A coherent and comprehensive theory of life that synthesizes the specific properties of living organisms. A coherent and comprehensive theory of life that synthesizes the specific properties of living organisms. Despite continued advances, science has until now struggled to describe the specific properties that define a living being. By synthesizing several aspects of organismic biology and contemporary science, Properties of Life by Bernd Rosslenbroich generates a coherent concept of the singular quality of being alive-a concept that provides a crucial foundation for scientists, farmers, and medical practitioners and helps explain how we all interact with the world around us and within ourselves. Is an organism an aggregate of parts or an integrated system with agency? Is it a passive stimulus-response machine or a being equipped with subjectivity and consciousness? Rosslenbroich argues that the way people in different fields understand life determines their assumptions about organic function and behavior. In medicine, this extends to the human organism, which influences prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Drawing attention to a long-standing but underappreciated line of thought in organismic biology, Rosslenbroich's original idea emphasizes the autonomy of living processes, their network characteristics, and their self-determined organization in time and structure. A timely and revelatory book, Properties of Life formulates an integrated, unified theory that remains flexible enough to accommodate future developments and resilient enough to withstand the challenges of different theoretical and disciplinary backgrounds.

Full Product Details

Author:   Bernd Rosslenbroich
Publisher:   MIT Press Ltd
Imprint:   MIT Press
Weight:   0.369kg
ISBN:  

9780262546201

ISBN 10:   0262546205
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   19 September 2023
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

Series Foreword vii 1 Introduction 1 2 History and Presence of Organismic Thinking in Biology 7 3 Working Hypothesis 63 4 Properties of Life 77 4.1 Interdependencies 77 4.2 Integrative Biological Systems 96 4.3 Autonomy 118 4.4 Agency 130 4.5 Processing of Molecules 140 4.6 Processing Information 149 4.7 Processing of Energy 157 4.8 Processes of Shape 167 4.9 Time Autonomy 182 4.10 Sensitivity and Affectability 195 4.11 Subjective Experience 201 4.12 The Ability to Evolve 213 4.13 Growth and Development 235 4.14 Environmental Interrelationship 244 4.15 Reproduction and Death 250 5 Synthesis 261 References 285 Index 307

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Author Information

Bernd Rosslenbroich is Head of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Morphology at Witten/Herdecke University, Germany. Researching patterns and processes in macroevolution, organismic and systems biology, and philosophy of biology and medicine. Rosslenbroich is also the author of On the Origin of Autonomy- A New Look at the Major Transitions in Evolution.

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