Molecular Models of Life : Philosophical Papers on Molecular Biology

This work looks at molecular biology as a unifying perspective on life that complements that of evolutionary biology.

Despite the transformation in biological practice and theory brought about by discoveries in molecular biology, until recently philosophy of biology continued to focus on evolutionary biology.

In this landmark collection of essays, Sahotra Sarkar broadens the scope of current discussions of the philosophy of biology, viewing molecular biology as a unifying perspective on life that complements that of evolutionary biology.

His focus is on molecular biology, but the overriding question behind these papers is what molecular biology contributes to all traditional areas of biological research.

Molecular biology and its modeling strategies apparently argue in favor of physical reductionism.

Sarkar's first three chapters explore reductionism - defending it, but cautioning that reduction to molecular interactions is not necessarily a reduction to genetics (and does not support the claims of either hereditarianism or environmentalism).The next sections of the book discuss function, the informational interpretation of biology and how it interacts with reductionism, and the tension between the unifying framework of molecular biology and the received framework of evolutionary theory.

The concluding chapter explores what molecular biology may contribute to the transformation of evolutionary theory as evolutionary theory takes into account morphogenetic development.