The Origin Of Individuals

Author(s): Jean-Jacques Kupiec (Author)

Publisher: Wspc
Publication Date: February 6, 2009
Language: English
Print length: 274 pages
ISBN-10: B00KLHZYA8

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ORIGIN OF INDIVIDUALS, THE book cover

ORIGIN OF INDIVIDUALS, THE

Author(s): Kupiec Jean-Jacques (Author)

Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
Publication Date: February 1, 2009
Edition: 1st
Language: English
Print length: 276 pages
ISBN-10: 981270499X
ISBN-13: 9789812704993

Book Description

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 impeding its development. The analysis of this problem is based on the most recent experimental data obtained in molecular biology as well as the history and philosophy of biology. It shows that the machine theory did not succeed in breaking with Aristotle’s finalism. The book presents a new approach to biological systems based on cellular Darwinism. Genes are ruled by probabilistic mechanisms allowing cells to differentiate stochastically. Embryo development is not governed by a determinist genetic program but by natural selection occurring among cell populations inside the organism. This theory has considerable philosophical consequences. Man may be a machine but he is a random one.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kupiec is a very successful writer, deservedly so. I enthusiastically recommend this courageous book with its iconoclastic viewpoint. The Origin of Individuals is a pleasure to read, presenting complex ideas clearly and effectively. Whether one agrees with him or not, Kupiec’s is an inspiring work, a thought-provoking rollercoaster ride through the history of ideas about the origins of ontogeny. –Nature