Theoretical biology is still in its early stages as an academic discipline. There is even little agreement as to what topics it should deal with or in what manner it should precede; and it is only recently that philosophers felt called upon to notice the relevance of biological topics as evolution or perception to their traditional problems. This work is a publication of the International Union of Biological Sciences, the central organization of all the branches of biology. The main focus here is to explore the possibility of formulating some frame of concepts and methods around which...
Theoretical biology is still in its early stages as an academic discipline. There is even little agreement as to what topics it should deal with or...
A. J. P. Kenny H. C. Longuet-Higgins C. H. Waddington
The experimental and highly regarded Gifford Lectures at Edinburgh University was endowed in the late nineteenth century. Over the years, participants have included many leading representatives of religion, science, and philosophy. This series has as its subject, The Development of Mind. First published in 1972, the series continues to attract widespread interest. In this volume, contributors argue about the mind from diverse analytical standpoints. The focus of the series remains the relationship between religion, science, and philosophy. This volume attempts to achieve a comprehensive view...
The experimental and highly regarded Gifford Lectures at Edinburgh University was endowed in the late nineteenth century. Over the years, participants...
The purpose of this volume is to bring together a number of elements that would be useful in the construction of a coherent and comprehensive theory of biology. Based on the assumption that living systems represent some kind of "organized complexity," the collection discusses meaningful ways of formulating two basic questions: what is the nature of this complexity; and, what are the principles of its organization?
The question always asked about biological theory is whether or not it constitutes useful scientific theory. Because many useful biological theories cannot yet be made...
The purpose of this volume is to bring together a number of elements that would be useful in the construction of a coherent and comprehensive theor...
This is the third, penultimate volume in the Toward a Theoretical Biology series. The contributors agree that there is a major problem in finding methods of dealing with the great complexity of biological systems. Molecular biology has given us considerable insight into the nature of the elementary units and processes of life, but to understand how these are put together to form systems that are usually too complicated to be analysed completely, but exhibit global properties of simplicity, presents biologists with an intellectual challenge that physical sciences and chemistry must also face....
This is the third, penultimate volume in the Toward a Theoretical Biology series. The contributors agree that there is a major problem in finding meth...
Biological Processes in Living Systems is the fourth and final volume of the Toward a Theoretical Biology series. It contains essays that deal in detail with particular biological processes: morphogenesis of pattern, the development of neuronal networks, evolutionary processes, and others. The main thrust of this volume brings relevance to the general underlying nature of living systems. Faced with trying to understand how the complexity of molecular microstates leads to the relative simplicity of phenome structures, Waddington-on behalf of his colleagues-stresses on the structure of language...
Biological Processes in Living Systems is the fourth and final volume of the Toward a Theoretical Biology series. It contains essays that deal in deta...
Originally published in 1952 as part of the Cambridge Biological Studies series, this book presents contemporary theories on embryology using the example of the bird embryo. Waddington reviews the modern experimental embryology of birds, and touches on topics such as plumage development and the developmental actions of mutant genes. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in embryology or the history of epigenetics.
Originally published in 1952 as part of the Cambridge Biological Studies series, this book presents contemporary theories on embryology using the exam...
First published in 1935 (this edition in 1946), this short account of the science of embryology was the first book in English to provide a simple outline of the whole of this important subject. The study of development is perhaps the best method of approach to the most fundamental of all biological problems, the problem of how all the diverse activities are integrated so as to make up a complete individual organism. The book gives a short sketch of the general pattern on which all animals are built, but devotes more attention to the factors which cause the development of the elements in...
First published in 1935 (this edition in 1946), this short account of the science of embryology was the first book in English to provide a simple o...
First published in 1960, this book discusses the ethical implications of the view of man s nature and his place in the biological world. C. H. Waddington highlights issues of the time, such as social upheavals related to social mobility, and the changing nature of philosophical thinking in relation to the nature of good.
The author argues that man differs from all other animals in his ability for social teaching and learning and that this provides him with a second method of evolutionary advance, in addition to biology. He advances this through the idea that man has the capacity to...
First published in 1960, this book discusses the ethical implications of the view of man s nature and his place in the biological world. C. H. Wadd...
First published in 1939 (second impression in 1950), this book provides an account of the changes in, and main principles of, genetics at that time. These are illustrated by references to the most authoritative and then recent investigations. Special attention is paid to the way in which genetics overlaps with other fields of inquiry, since it is often in these border-line subjects that the most important advances are to be expected. The book is particularly arranged to suit the convenience of students whose previous knowledge of genetics is small, and contains annotated bibliographies of...
First published in 1939 (second impression in 1950), this book provides an account of the changes in, and main principles of, genetics at that time...
