The Nature of Life
The Nature of Life
Bringing together the latest scientific advances and some of the most enduring subtle philosophical puzzles and problems, this book collects original historical and contemporary sources to explore the wide range of issues surrounding the nature of life. Selections ranging from Aristotle and Descartes to Sagan and Dawkins are organised around four broad themes covering classical discussions of life, the origins and extent of natural life, contemporary artificial life creations and the definition and meaning of 'life' in its most general form. Each section is preceded by an extensive introduction connecting the various ideas discussed in individual chapters and providing helpful background material for understanding them. With its interdisciplinary perspective, this fascinating collection is essential reading for scientists and philosophers interested in astrobiology, synthetic biology and the philosophy of life.
- Introductions to the four sections provide philosophical and scientific background information helping the reader to understand the concepts explored
- A selection of the most influential historical and contemporary writings on the nature of life gives the reader an excellent overview of the most important areas of debate
- Interdisciplinary perspective provides the reader with a complete and well-informed understanding of the issues surrounding the nature of life
Reviews & endorsements
"Editing a book of this kind always entails a risk because the particular professional interests and idiosyncrasies of the editors will affect the choice of contributions. However, I believe that the multifarious and matching interests of the editors were instrumental in producing an up to date and complete collection that will help the student of biology and philosophy alike. The editors did an outstanding job at devising an anthology that will be useful as a teaching instrument in a variety of classes in a variety of different disciplines. A marvelous book."
Davide Vecchi, metapsychology online reviews
"This is an admirable collection of incisive articles on a topic so fundamental and difficult that its resolution undoubtedly demands an interdisciplinary approach."
Peter Takacs, Quarterly Review of Biology
Product details
September 2010Adobe eBook Reader
9780511730870
0 pages
0kg
50 b/w illus. 12 tables
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Sources
- About the authors
- Introduction
- Part I. Classical Discussions of Life:
- 1. De Anima (selections) Aristotle
- 2. Treatise on Man René Descartes
- 3. Critique of the Teleological Power of Judgment (selections) Immanuel Kant
- 4. What is Life? (selections) Erwin Schrödinger
- 5. The nature of life Alexander Oparin
- 6. What is the meaning of 'life'? Ernst Mayr
- 7. The Principles of Life (selections) Tibor Gánti
- Part II. The Origin and Extent of Natural Life:
- 8. The origin of life: a review of facts and speculation Leslie E. Orgel
- 9. Small molecule interactions were central to the origin of life Robert Shapiro
- 10. Are the different hypotheses on the emergence of life as different as they seem? Iris Fry
- 11. The universal nature of biochemistry Norman Pace
- 12. Is there a common chemical model for life in the universe? Steven A. Benner, Alonso Ricardo and Matthew A. Carrigan
- 13. Searching for life in the universe: lessons from Earth Kenneth H. Nealson
- 14. The possibility of alternative microbial life on Earth Carol E. Cleland and Shelley D. Copley
- 15. Introduction to the limits of organic life in planetary systems National Research Council of the National Academies
- Part III. Artificial Life and Synthetic Biology:
- 16. Learning from functionalism: prospects for strong artificial life Elliott Sober
- 17. Life, 'artificial life', and scientific explanation Marc Lange
- 18. Alien life: how would we know? Margaret A. Boden
- 19. Automatic design and manufacture of robotic life forms Hod Lipson and Jordan P. Pollack
- 20. A giant step towards artificial life? David Deamer
- 21. Approaches to semi-synthetic minimal cells: a review Pier Luigi Luisi, Francesca Ferri and Pasquale Stano
- 22. Creating 'real life' Evelyn Fox Keller
- Part IV. Defining and Explaining Life:
- 23. Definitions of life Carl Sagan
- 24. The seven pillars of life Daniel E. Koshland
- 25. A universal definition of life: autonomy and open-ended evolution Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo, Juli Pereto and Alvaro Moreno
- 26. Does 'life' have a definition? Carol Cleland and Christopher Chyba
- 27. Sentient symphony Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan
- 28. Defining life Kim Sterelny and Paul Griffiths
- 29. Universal Darwinism Richard Dawkins
- 30. What is life? Was Schrödinger right? Stuart A. Kauffman
- 31. Four puzzles about life Mark A. Bedau
- Supplemental bibliography on life
- Index.
