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Daniel J Nicholson

@djnicholson.bsky.social

Integrating the History, Philosophy, & Theory of Biology

48 Posts1800 Follower364 Folgt
Daniel J Nicholson@djnicholson.bsky.social · 5d ago

What does it mean to say the organism is a SYSTEM? Can we make this concept precise and useful? Paul Weiss showed us how a century ago! In my new paper I recover his neglected systems view & use it to undermine four entrenched theses in biology: reductionism, genocentrism, determinism, & mechanicism

The Organism as a System: Insights from Paul Weiss - Acta Biotheoretica

Despite the remarkable successes of molecular biology over the past three quarters of a century, there is growing recognition that organisms must be understood as integrated systems if we are to fully...

link.springer.com

Daniel J Nicholson@djnicholson.bsky.social · last mo.

It's much worse than that. The paper is written as if the entire discipline of philosophy of biology (a professional field with its own journals, textbooks, international societies, monographs..) doesn't exist! Next time someone asks me why we need philosophy of biology I'll refer them to this paper

Chris Adami@chrisadami.bsky.social · last mo.

"Whether Shannon’s conceptualization of information transmission ultimately proves to be a fundamental organizing principle of living systems remains uncertain..." It's like my book doesn't even exist.

@svateboje.bsky.social · 2mo ago

a very nice paper from @djnicholson.bsky.social on similar structures in biology (esp recommended for the discussion of cellular heterogeneity). Population Thinking and the Uniqueness of Biological Entities Acta Biotheor. 2025 Jun 13;73(2):8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Population Thinking and the Uniqueness of Biological Entities

The concept of ‘population thinking’ was introduced by Ernst Mayr in the mid-twentieth century and it has since become one of the most pervasive notions in the philosophy of biology. Despite its influ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Daniel J Nicholson@djnicholson.bsky.social · 7mo ago

It was a pleasure to talk to Phil for an hour and a half about the conceptual foundations of the life sciences as part of his New Biology project. It's an exciting time to be a philosopher of biology! #hpbio #philsci #philsky

Philip Ball@philipcball.bsky.social · 7mo ago

I had a great talk with philosopher of biology Dan Nicholson, for the New Biology project with Marginalia Review of Books, about going beyond the machine metaphor in biology. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ds0...

Daniel J Nicholson@djnicholson.bsky.social · 12mo ago

I had SO much fun talking to Paul for almost 2 hours about my new book on Schrödinger & molecular biology. Easily one of the most enjoyable podcasts I've ever done. Check it out! P.S. CUP has made the PDF of my book free to download for 2 more weeks. Get it here: www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Paul Middlebrooks@braininspired.bsky.social · 12mo ago

What Is Life? A misleading title for Schrödinger's book. What is Life? Revisited. A spot-on title for Dan's @djnicholson.bsky.social book, which happens to be a gem. After reading it and discussing with Dan, I can only picture Schrödinger as a cartoon villain now. braininspired.co/podcast/224/

Daniel J Nicholson@djnicholson.bsky.social · 12mo ago

When I presented my research on Schrödinger at CSHL, everyone was surprised to find Jim Watson seated up front in what was apparently his first public appearance since the pandemic. During my talk, he snored so loudly that he woke himself up, and in the Q&A he loudly described my argument as "Crap!"

James Watson attending a research talk by Daniel Nicholson on the legacy of Schrödinger's 'What Is Life?' at CSHL
Philipp Niethammer@niethammerlab.bsky.social · last yr.

Daniel‘s lectures at our GSK Cancer Science Graduate School are always a curriculum highlight! Contemplating the implicit assumptions of modern biological science can foster new ways of thinking, as some of our old go-to concepts become unwieldy and show their limitations. Students loved it!

The Ramsey Lab@theramseylab.bsky.social · last yr.

New Element in the Philosophy of Biology series—free to download until Oct. 24! @djnicholson.bsky.social uncovers Schrödinger’s motivations for writing "What Is Life?", revisits its central arguments & examines the book’s lasting impact on cell & molecular biology👇 www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Book cover of “What Is Life? Revisted” by Daniel J. Nicholson, in the Cambridge Elements: The Philosophy of Biology series. Against a black background, the title is surrounded by Ernst Haeckel’s illustrations of marine organisms—radial, symmetrical forms in vivid blues, oranges, reds, and greens.
Daniel J Nicholson@djnicholson.bsky.social · last yr.

My little book on Schrödinger's famous classic 'What Is Life?' is out! Offering the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of the book's origins, reception, impact, and legacy, it uncovers Schrödinger's motivations in writing it, and shows how it has shaped our current understanding of the cell

<i>What Is Life?</i> Revisited

Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - <i>What Is Life?</i> Revisited

cambridge.org

Daniel J Nicholson@djnicholson.bsky.social · last yr.

Every biological entity is unique; no two are exactly alike. Is this a trivial observation, or a profound metaphysical claim about the living world? Read my new paper & find out! It deals with Mayr's "Population Thinking"; one of the most familiar yet tragically misunderstood ideas in all of biology

Population Thinking and the Uniqueness of Biological Entities - Acta Biotheoretica

Acta Biotheoretica - The concept of ‘population thinking’ was introduced by Ernst Mayr in the mid-twentieth century and it has since become one of the most pervasive notions in the...

link.springer.com

Ehud@duhe.bsky.social · 2y ago

This is a very NEAT piece about biomolecular condensates from @philipcball.bsky.social chronicling fascinating discoveries. On the philosophical implications of a lot of this you should read @djnicholson.bsky.social. A brief ego thread on how this relates to my work on genomes follows. 1/4

Mysterious Blobs in Cells Are Changing the Way We Understand Life

Tiny specks called biomolecular condensates are leading to a new understanding of the cell

scientificamerican.com