"Biology, History, and Natural Philosophy"

In a world that peers over the brink of disaster more often than not it is difficult to find specific assignments for the scholarly community. One speaks of peace and brotherhood only to realize that for many the only real hope of making a contribution may seem to be in a field of scientific specialization seemingly irrelevant to social causes and problems. Yet the history of man since the beginnings of science in the days of the Greeks does not support this gloomy thesis. Time and again we have seen science precipitate social trends or changes in the humanistic beliefs that have a significant effect on the scientific community. Not infrequently the theoretical scientist, triggered by society's changing goals and understandings, finds ultimate satisfaction in the work of his colleagues in engineering and the other applied fields. Thus the major debate in mid-nineteenth century in which the evidence of natural history and geology at variance with the Biblical feats provided not only courage to a timid Darwin but the kind of audience that was needed to fit his theories into the broad public dialogue on these topics. The impact of "Darwinism" was felt far beyond the scientific community. It affected social thought, upset religious certainties and greatly affected the teaching of science. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv The Autonomy of Biology as a Natural Science....Pages 1-16 The Model of Open Systems: Beyond Molecular Biology....Pages 17-30 Electronic Mobility in Biological Processes....Pages 31-36 The Evolution and Organization of Sentient Biological Behavior Systems....Pages 37-78 The Evolutionary Significance of Biological Templates....Pages 79-102 Evolutionary Modulation of Ribosomal RNA Synthesis in Oogenesis and Early Embryonic Development....Pages 103-109 Respiration as Interface Between Self and Non-Self: Historico-Biological Perspectives....Pages 111-121 Measurement Theory and Biology....Pages 123-133 The Transition from Theoretical Physics into Theoretical Biology....Pages 135-163 Scientific Enterprises from a Biological Point of View....Pages 165-169 Historical Observations Concerning the Relationship Between Biology and Mathematics....Pages 171-180 A Survey of the Mechanical Interpretations of Life from the Greek Atomists to the Followers of Descartes....Pages 181-195 The Place of Normative Ethics Within a Biological Framework....Pages 197-206 The Evolutionary Thought of Teilhard de Chardin....Pages 207-216 The Use of Biological Concepts in the Writing of History....Pages 217-232 What is a Historical System?....Pages 233-242 On a Difference Between the Natural Sciences and History....Pages 243-250 Historical Taxonomy....Pages 251-261 Theories of the Universe in the Late Eighteenth Century....Pages 263-289 “Must a Machine be an Automaton?”....Pages 291-298 Epistemology, the Mind and the Computer....Pages 299-330 Marginal Notes on Schrödinger....Pages 331-343 Back Matter....Pages 345-355