van Regenmortel / Hull Promises and Limits of Reductionism in the Biomedical Sciences

1. Auflage 2002
ISBN: 978-0-470-85417-4
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 382 Seiten, E-Book

Reductionism as a scientific methodology has been extraordinarilysuccessful in biology. However, recent developments in molecularbiology have shown that reductionism is seriously inadequate indealing with the mind-boggling complexity of integrated biologicalsystems.
This title presents an appropriate balance between science andphilosophy and covers traditional philosophical treatments ofreductionism as well as the benefits and shortcomings ofreductionism in particular areas of science.
Discussing the issue of reductionism in the practice of medicine ittakes into account the holistic and integrative aspects thatrequire the context of the patient in his biological andpsychological entirety.
The emerging picture is that what first seems like hopelessdisagreements turn out to be differences in emphasis. Althoughgenes play an important role in biology, the focus on genetics andgenomics has often been misleading. The consensus view leads topluralism: both reductionst methods and a more integrative approachto biological complexity are required, depending on the questionsthat are asked.
* An even balance of contributions from scientists and philosophersof science - representing a unique interchange between bothcommunities interested in reductionism

Autoren/Hrsg.

van Regenmortel, Marc H. V.

Hull, David L.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Contributors
About the Editors
Introduction (D.L. Hull and M.H.V. Van Regenmortel)
Emergent Properties of Biological Molecules and Cells (R. P. J.Williams)
From Nineteenth Century Ideas on Reduction in Physiology toNon-reductive Explanations in Twentieth Century Biochemistry (C.Debru)
Pitfalls of Reductionism in Immunology (M. H. V. VanRegenmortel)
Reductionism in Medicine: Social Aspects of Health (E.A.Lloyd)
'Who's Afraid of Reductionism?' 'I am!' (S. Shostak)
Round Table Discussion 1 (Chair: A. Rosenberg)
Reductionism in a Historical Science (A. Rosenberg)
Varieties of Reductionism: Derivation and Gene Selection (D. L.Hull)
The Gene: Between Holism and Reductionism (M. Morange)
Genes versus Molecules: How to, and How Not To, Be a Reductionist(S. Sarak)
Limits on Reproduction: A Reductionist Research Strategy inEvolutionary Biology (J. Griesemer)
Evolutionary Psychology: A Case Study in the Poverty of GeneticDeterminism (J. Dupre)
Round Table Discussion 2 (Chair: M.H.V. Van Regenmortel)
The Ethical Imperative of Holism in Medicine (A. Tauber)
Levels of Explanation in Human Behaviour: the Poverty ofEvolutionary Psychology (S. P. R. Rose)
Reductionism and Social Policy (D. Nelkin)
Reductionism, Complexity and Molecular Medicine: Genetic Chips andthe 'Globalization' of the Genome (K. Schaffner)
Round Table Discussion 3 (Chair: K.F. Schaffner)
Bibliography
Index