Article ID: CBB001023956

The Cell as Nexus: Connections between the History, Philosophy and Science of Cell Biology (2010)

unapi

Although the cell is commonly addressed as the unit of life, historians and philosophers have devoted relatively little attention to this concept in comparison to other fundamental concepts of biology such as the gene or species. As a partial remedy to this neglect, we introduce the cell as a major point of connection between various disciplinary approaches, epistemic strategies, technological vectors and overarching biological processes such as metabolism, growth, reproduction and evolution. We suggest that the role of the cell as a nexus forms the basis for a new philosophical and historical appreciation of cell biology. This perspective focuses less on the cell as a well-defined, stable object and places more emphasis on its role as a mediator of fundamental biological processes.

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Includes Series Articles

Article Bechtel, William (2010) The Cell: Locus or Object of Inquiry?. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (p. 172). unapi

Article Grote, Mathias (2010) Surfaces of Action: Cells and Membranes in Electrochemistry and the Life Sciences. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (p. 183). unapi

Article Reynolds, Andrew (2010) The Redoubtable Cell. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (p. 194). unapi

Article Nicholson, Daniel J. (2010) Biological Atomism and Cell Theory. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (p. 202). unapi

Article O'Malley, Maureen A. (2010) The First Eukaryote Cell: An Unfinished History of Contestation. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (p. 212). unapi

Article Müller-Wille, Staffan (2010) Cell Theory, Specificity, and Reproduction, 1837--1870. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (p. 225). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001023956/

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Authors & Contributors
Chiapperino, Luca
Panese, Francesco
Fasolo, Aldo
Isabel Gabel
Lovisolo, Davide
Holmes, Tarquin
Concepts
Biology
Philosophy of biology
Cellular biology
Epistemology
Evolution
Metaphors; analogies
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
21st century
18th century
Places
Germany
Naples (Italy)
Italy
Mexico
Berlin (Germany)
Institutions
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Biologie, Berlin
Stazione Zoologica di Napoli
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