Epistemology of the Cell. A Systems Perspective on Biological Knowledge

Honorable mention – Biomedicine and Neuroscience, 2011 Prose Awards An examination of how the cell should be described in order to effectively process biological data «The fruitful pursuit of biological knowledge requires one to take Einstein's admonition [on science without epistemology] as a practical demand for scientific research, to recognize Waddington's characterization of the subject matter of biology, and to embrace Wiener's conception of the form of biological knowledge in response to its subject matter. It is from this vantage point that we consider the epistemology of the cell.» —from the Preface In the era of high biological data throughput, biomedical engine…