Article ID: CBB001420760

Tracing Organizing Principles: Learning from the History of Systems Biology (2013)

unapi

With the emergence of systems biology, the identification of organizing principles is being highlighted as a key research aim. Researchers attempt to reverse engineer the functional organization of biological systems using methodologies from mathematics, engineering and computer science while taking advantage of data produced by new experimental techniques. While systems biology is a relatively new approach, the quest for general principles of biological organization dates back to systems theoretic approaches in early and mid-twentieth century. The aim of this paper is to draw on this historical background in order to increase the understanding of the motivation behind the search for general principles and to clarify different epistemic aims within systems biology. We pinpoint key aspects of earlier approaches that also underlie the current practice. These are i) the focus on relational and system-level properties, ii) the inherent critique of reductionism and fragmentation of knowledge resulting from overspecialization, and iii) the insight that the ideal of formulating abstract organizing principles is complementary to, rather than conflicting with, the aim of formulating detailed explanations of biological mechanisms. We argue that looking back not only helps us understand the current practice but also points to possible future directions for systems biology.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001420760/

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Authors & Contributors
Kranke, Nina
MacLeod, Miles
Kirchhoff, Thomas
Xiaochang Li
Wolfram, Stephen
Staley, Kent W.
Concepts
Philosophy of science
Data analysis
Experiments and experimentation
Systems biology
Computer science
Methodology of science; scientific method
Time Periods
20th century
21st century
20th century, late
17th century
19th century
18th century
Places
United States
Japan
Italy
Europe
Institutions
School of Milan
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