Paradoxical life: meaning, matter, and the power of human choice

What can a fingernail tell us about the mysteries of creation? In one sense, a nail is merely a hunk of mute matter, yet in another, it's an information superhighway quite literally at our fingertips. Every moment, streams of molecular signals direct our cells to move, flatten, swell, shrink, d...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser: Wagner, Andreas (VerfasserIn)
Format: Buch
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: New Haven [u.a.] Yale Univ. Press 2009
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Zusammenfassung:What can a fingernail tell us about the mysteries of creation? In one sense, a nail is merely a hunk of mute matter, yet in another, it's an information superhighway quite literally at our fingertips. Every moment, streams of molecular signals direct our cells to move, flatten, swell, shrink, divide, or die. Andreas Wagner's ambitious new book explores this hidden web of unimaginably complex interactions in every living being. In the process, he unveils a host of paradoxes underpinning our understanding of modern biology, contradictions he considers gatekeepers at the frontiers of knowledge. Though we tend to think of concepts in such mutually exclusive pairs as mind-matter, self-other, and nature-nurture, Wagner argues that these opposing ideas are not actually separate. Indeed, they are as inextricably connected as the two sides of a coin. Through a tour of modern biological marvels, Wagner illustrates how this paradoxical tension has a profound effect on the way we define the world around us. Paradoxical Life is thus not only a unique account of modern biology. It ultimately serves a radical - and optimistic - outlook for humans and the world we help create.
Beschreibung:Includes bibliographical references and index
Introduction: paradox and the power of choice -- The inner dialogue of creation -- The other side of self -- Wholey parts and partly wholes -- Risky refuges -- Destructive creation -- Choice in the fabric of chance and necessity -- Purposeful openness -- Choice and the natural sciences -- The limits to knowledge -- The power and burden of freedom
Beschreibung:IX, 259 S. 25 cm
ISBN:9780300149234

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