Emergence and Modularity in Life Sciences
This book focuses on modules and emergence with self-organization in the life sciences. As Aristotle observed so long ago, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. However, contemporary science is dominated by reductionist concepts and tends to neglec
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Emergence and Modularity in Life Sciences
Emergence and Modularity in Life Sciences
Lars H. Wegner Ulrich Lüttge •
Editors
Emergence and Modularity in Life Sciences
123
Editors Lars H. Wegner Karlsruher Institut für Technologie Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Ulrich Lüttge FB Biologie TU Darmstadt Darmstadt, Germany
ISBN 978-3-030-06127-2 ISBN 978-3-030-06128-9 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06128-9
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018966398 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
Natural sciences tend to follow reductionist concepts leading to the identification of smaller and smaller entities, which we may call modules. Specialization has the inherent tendency of being driven too far so that the specialist in the end knows more and more about less and less until knowing all about nothing (Lorenz 1977, p. 51). Emergence of new unitary systems by integration and self-organization is juxtaposed to modularity (Lüttge 2012). Empirically we do need to describe and know the modules well. However, as already noted by Aristotle (384–322 BC), the whole is more than the sum of its parts, and reductionist approaches tend to neglect features of complex systems that result from non-reducible emergence. While the reference to Aristotle demonstrates that the phenomenon itself has been recognized very early, we are still in need of rigorous scientific concepts systematically describing how new features are generated in complex systems by the integration of modules. The Aristotelian view is often quoted as the essence of emergence. Lorenz (1977, pp. 47–49) characterizes emergence as a sudden “fulguration” with lightning of innovati
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