The rapidly increasing interest in the quantum properties of living matter stimulates a discussion of the fundamental properties of life as well as quantum mechanics. In this discussion often concepts are used that originate in philosophy and ask for a philosophical analysis. In the present work the classic philosophical tradition based on Aristotle and Aquinas is employed which surprisingly is able to shed light on important aspects. Especially one could mention the high degree of unity in living objects and the occurrence of thorough qualitative changes. The latter are outside the scope of classical physics where changes are restricted to geometrical rearrangement of microscopic particles. A challenging approach is used in the philosophical analysis as the empirical evidence is not taken from everyday life but from 20th century science (quantum mechanics) and recent results in the field of quantum biology. In the discussion it is argued that quantum entanglement is possibly related to the occurrence of life. Finally it is recommended that scientists and philosophers should be open for dialogue that could enrich both. Scientists could redirect their investigation, as paradigm shifts like the one originating from philosophical evaluation of quantum mechanics give new insight about the relation between the whole en the parts. Whereas philosophers could use scientific results as a consistency check for their philosophical framework for understanding reality.
accepted for publication in Acta Philosophica
Whitehead's Process Metaphysics as a New Link between Science and Metaphysicsijtsrd
Against the separation of metaphysics and science advocated for by Plato and his followers and against the rejection of metaphysics in favour of science the Logical Positivists , this work argues that 'a new link' between metaphysics and science is all the more necessary for man to better understand nature. This is precisely what Whitehead's process metaphysics purports to do. But why is 'a new link' necessary It is necessary because Aristotle and his followers already established a link 'an old link' by making metaphysics the foundation of all the sciences. Yet, Aristotelian metaphysics is a substance based metaphysics while Whitehead's metaphysics takes process and especially the category of relation seriously. Whitehead's Process metaphysics prioritizes process over permanence, becoming over being, relation over substance. Why does Whitehead have such preference for process metaphysics over classical metaphysics The answer, as shall be shown in this paper, lies in science with the demise of Newtonian science and the rise of Einsteinian science based on the theory of relativity. In an era when the concept of depassement de la metaphysique has become such a dominant feature of modern and postmodern thought, it is therefore our point of interest to find out why Whitehead who situates himself within this period takes up metaphysics as the foundation of his philosophizing Why does Whitehead embark on reconciling science and metaphysics when all his contemporaries are dissociating themselves from the former These questions will be the main concern of my research in this paper. Nelson Shang ""Whitehead's Process Metaphysics as a New Link between Science and Metaphysics"" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-2 , February 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd29982.pdf
Paper Url : https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/education/29982/whitehead%E2%80%99s-process-metaphysics-as-a-new-link-between-science-and-metaphysics/nelson-shang
This paper presents the evolution of the scientific method that has been instrumental in promoting the advancement of science and also technology throughout history. It is important to note that the scientific method refers to a cluster of basic rules of how to be the procedure in order to produce scientific knowledge, either new knowledge, either a correction or an increase of previously existing knowledge. The scientific method, therefore, is nothing more than the logic applied to science. The search for a suitable scientific method guided the action of most thinkers of the sixteenth and seventeenth highlighting among them Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, René Descartes and Isaac Newton, who with their contributions were crucial to the structure of what we call today of modern science. In addition to these thinkers, it was also important later contributions of Hegel, Marx, Engels, Popper, Russell, Duhem, Poincaré, Morin, etc.
This article aims to show how the scientific method emerged and demonstrate the need for changes in the search for scientific truth due to numerous questions about its effectiveness. There are several questions from great artisans and thinkers of science like Edgar Morin, Karl Popper, Bertrand Russell, Henri Poincaré, Albert Einstein, Pierre Duhem and Paul Feyerabend who contest that the current scientific method provides the search for scientific truth and claim another approach. Our proposal is that a new scientific method be developed that takes these questions into account.
Dialectic Approach in the Psychology by Jose RP in Psychology and Psychothera...CrimsonpublishersPPrs
Dialectic Approach in the Psychology by Jose RP in Psychology and Psychotherapy Research Study: Crimson Publishers_Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy
An analysis of the limitations of rational positivism and modern reductionism with solutions posed by Eastern philosophies and knowledge limits gauged by quantum theory and Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem.
This analysis is supported by contributions from OVium Solutions and International Innovative Institute.
Study of the Conceptions Related to Learning of Complex Concepts: The Case of the Ecosystem ............................ 1
Lamjed Messoussi, André Giordan and Mohamed Hédi El Aouni
A Comparison of Experimental Designs for Assessment and Research in Higher Education................................... 14
Jack T. Tessier, Nana-Yaw Andoh, Kristin DeForest, Matthew W. Juba, Akira Odani, John J. Padovani, Elizabeth F. Sova,
and Lisa M. Tessier
Designing Teaching Methods in Curriculum of Iran‟s Higher Education based on Development of Social Capital
................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Forouzan Tonkaboni, Alireza Yousefy and Narges Keshtiaray
Autocratic and Participative Coaching Styles and Its Effects on Students’ Dance Performance .............................. 32
Desiree B. Castillo, Martina Alexandria V. Balibay, Jhuzel M. Alarcon, Justine M. Picar, Raniel R. Lampitoc, Ma.
Crizandra Baylon
Impact of Teacher-Gender on Primary Students‟ Achievement: A Case Study at Bangladesh Standpoint............. 45
Dr. Kazi Enamul Hoque and Mosa Fatema Zohora
Problem-Based Learning in Construction Engineering within a South African context............................................. 69
Pauline Machika (Dr) and Chris Abrahams
Teaching Competency of Secondary School Teachers In Relation To Emotional Intelligence ................................... 83
Dr. Mandeep Kaur and Mrs. Arti Talwar
still contains sentences that are hard to understand, such as Evo.docxrjoseph5
still contains sentences that are hard to understand, such as "Evolutionarily, endangered species preservation in the form of fossils and other forms indicates preservation of culture just as argued in the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 whereby, organisms ought to be preserved even after death to mark their existence and evolution over the years." How do fossils apply to the ESA? And how can organisms be preserved after death, except in the case of museum specimens? From now on, please focus on explaining the ideas of our authors in your own words, rather than trying to sound "academic" or overly-complicated.
--
For next time, focus on answering the specific questions that are asked in the assignment. Rather than including information that appears to be from external sources, such as the genetically-oriented definition of evolution--which you NEED to cite to avoid committing plagiarism--this assignment should focus on the 3 Barrow rationales and relevant links from the Kingsland article.
Ecologists have long endeavored to improve ecologi-cal literacy. This goal goes beyond informing stu-
dents about environmental issues: one must excite their
interest in ecological science, regardless of whether or
not they intend to pursue the more advanced technical
and mathematical education that modern ecology
requires (Golley 1998). The challenge is to motivate
people to tackle difficult ecological problems. Fifty
years ago, G Evelyn Hutchinson (1953) observed that,
while students did not hesitate to dive into complicated
activities concerned with “electronic amplifiers and
with the explosive combustion of hydrocarbons”, they
traditionally viewed the majority of complex activities
as boring duties. “What we have to do”, Hutchinson
wrote, “is to show by example that a very large number
of diversified, complicated, and often extremely diffi-
cult constructive activities are capable of giving enor-
mous pleasure”. The kind of pleasure that Hutchinson
was thinking of involved the formulation of theory,
discovery, and problem-solving. Repairing the bios-
phere and the human societies within it, he believed,
ought to be as much fun as repairing the family car.
While people today are better informed about environ-
mental problems , engaging students in ecological
research and conveying what ecology is about to the
public is still challenging because of the complexity of
the science.
I will draw on historical examples to illustrate ways of
thinking that are characteristic of an ecological
approach to the study of nature. My list is by no means
complete. I touch only lightly on the classics of the eco-
logical canon, which are discussed elsewhere (Real and
Brown 1991; Keller and Golley 2000). Instead, I include
some lesser known examples from medical science to
highlight different contexts in which thinking ecologi-
cally has been important. Students should appreciate
that this kind of thinking integrates methods derived
from many fields of science an.
Whitehead's Process Metaphysics as a New Link between Science and Metaphysicsijtsrd
Against the separation of metaphysics and science advocated for by Plato and his followers and against the rejection of metaphysics in favour of science the Logical Positivists , this work argues that 'a new link' between metaphysics and science is all the more necessary for man to better understand nature. This is precisely what Whitehead's process metaphysics purports to do. But why is 'a new link' necessary It is necessary because Aristotle and his followers already established a link 'an old link' by making metaphysics the foundation of all the sciences. Yet, Aristotelian metaphysics is a substance based metaphysics while Whitehead's metaphysics takes process and especially the category of relation seriously. Whitehead's Process metaphysics prioritizes process over permanence, becoming over being, relation over substance. Why does Whitehead have such preference for process metaphysics over classical metaphysics The answer, as shall be shown in this paper, lies in science with the demise of Newtonian science and the rise of Einsteinian science based on the theory of relativity. In an era when the concept of depassement de la metaphysique has become such a dominant feature of modern and postmodern thought, it is therefore our point of interest to find out why Whitehead who situates himself within this period takes up metaphysics as the foundation of his philosophizing Why does Whitehead embark on reconciling science and metaphysics when all his contemporaries are dissociating themselves from the former These questions will be the main concern of my research in this paper. Nelson Shang ""Whitehead's Process Metaphysics as a New Link between Science and Metaphysics"" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-4 | Issue-2 , February 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd29982.pdf
Paper Url : https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/education/29982/whitehead%E2%80%99s-process-metaphysics-as-a-new-link-between-science-and-metaphysics/nelson-shang
This paper presents the evolution of the scientific method that has been instrumental in promoting the advancement of science and also technology throughout history. It is important to note that the scientific method refers to a cluster of basic rules of how to be the procedure in order to produce scientific knowledge, either new knowledge, either a correction or an increase of previously existing knowledge. The scientific method, therefore, is nothing more than the logic applied to science. The search for a suitable scientific method guided the action of most thinkers of the sixteenth and seventeenth highlighting among them Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, René Descartes and Isaac Newton, who with their contributions were crucial to the structure of what we call today of modern science. In addition to these thinkers, it was also important later contributions of Hegel, Marx, Engels, Popper, Russell, Duhem, Poincaré, Morin, etc.
This article aims to show how the scientific method emerged and demonstrate the need for changes in the search for scientific truth due to numerous questions about its effectiveness. There are several questions from great artisans and thinkers of science like Edgar Morin, Karl Popper, Bertrand Russell, Henri Poincaré, Albert Einstein, Pierre Duhem and Paul Feyerabend who contest that the current scientific method provides the search for scientific truth and claim another approach. Our proposal is that a new scientific method be developed that takes these questions into account.
Dialectic Approach in the Psychology by Jose RP in Psychology and Psychothera...CrimsonpublishersPPrs
Dialectic Approach in the Psychology by Jose RP in Psychology and Psychotherapy Research Study: Crimson Publishers_Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy
An analysis of the limitations of rational positivism and modern reductionism with solutions posed by Eastern philosophies and knowledge limits gauged by quantum theory and Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem.
This analysis is supported by contributions from OVium Solutions and International Innovative Institute.
Study of the Conceptions Related to Learning of Complex Concepts: The Case of the Ecosystem ............................ 1
Lamjed Messoussi, André Giordan and Mohamed Hédi El Aouni
A Comparison of Experimental Designs for Assessment and Research in Higher Education................................... 14
Jack T. Tessier, Nana-Yaw Andoh, Kristin DeForest, Matthew W. Juba, Akira Odani, John J. Padovani, Elizabeth F. Sova,
and Lisa M. Tessier
Designing Teaching Methods in Curriculum of Iran‟s Higher Education based on Development of Social Capital
................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Forouzan Tonkaboni, Alireza Yousefy and Narges Keshtiaray
Autocratic and Participative Coaching Styles and Its Effects on Students’ Dance Performance .............................. 32
Desiree B. Castillo, Martina Alexandria V. Balibay, Jhuzel M. Alarcon, Justine M. Picar, Raniel R. Lampitoc, Ma.
Crizandra Baylon
Impact of Teacher-Gender on Primary Students‟ Achievement: A Case Study at Bangladesh Standpoint............. 45
Dr. Kazi Enamul Hoque and Mosa Fatema Zohora
Problem-Based Learning in Construction Engineering within a South African context............................................. 69
Pauline Machika (Dr) and Chris Abrahams
Teaching Competency of Secondary School Teachers In Relation To Emotional Intelligence ................................... 83
Dr. Mandeep Kaur and Mrs. Arti Talwar
still contains sentences that are hard to understand, such as Evo.docxrjoseph5
still contains sentences that are hard to understand, such as "Evolutionarily, endangered species preservation in the form of fossils and other forms indicates preservation of culture just as argued in the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 whereby, organisms ought to be preserved even after death to mark their existence and evolution over the years." How do fossils apply to the ESA? And how can organisms be preserved after death, except in the case of museum specimens? From now on, please focus on explaining the ideas of our authors in your own words, rather than trying to sound "academic" or overly-complicated.
--
For next time, focus on answering the specific questions that are asked in the assignment. Rather than including information that appears to be from external sources, such as the genetically-oriented definition of evolution--which you NEED to cite to avoid committing plagiarism--this assignment should focus on the 3 Barrow rationales and relevant links from the Kingsland article.
Ecologists have long endeavored to improve ecologi-cal literacy. This goal goes beyond informing stu-
dents about environmental issues: one must excite their
interest in ecological science, regardless of whether or
not they intend to pursue the more advanced technical
and mathematical education that modern ecology
requires (Golley 1998). The challenge is to motivate
people to tackle difficult ecological problems. Fifty
years ago, G Evelyn Hutchinson (1953) observed that,
while students did not hesitate to dive into complicated
activities concerned with “electronic amplifiers and
with the explosive combustion of hydrocarbons”, they
traditionally viewed the majority of complex activities
as boring duties. “What we have to do”, Hutchinson
wrote, “is to show by example that a very large number
of diversified, complicated, and often extremely diffi-
cult constructive activities are capable of giving enor-
mous pleasure”. The kind of pleasure that Hutchinson
was thinking of involved the formulation of theory,
discovery, and problem-solving. Repairing the bios-
phere and the human societies within it, he believed,
ought to be as much fun as repairing the family car.
While people today are better informed about environ-
mental problems , engaging students in ecological
research and conveying what ecology is about to the
public is still challenging because of the complexity of
the science.
I will draw on historical examples to illustrate ways of
thinking that are characteristic of an ecological
approach to the study of nature. My list is by no means
complete. I touch only lightly on the classics of the eco-
logical canon, which are discussed elsewhere (Real and
Brown 1991; Keller and Golley 2000). Instead, I include
some lesser known examples from medical science to
highlight different contexts in which thinking ecologi-
cally has been important. Students should appreciate
that this kind of thinking integrates methods derived
from many fields of science an.
SPECIAL ISSUE CRITICAL REALISM IN IS RESEARCHCRITICAL RE.docxsusanschei
SPECIAL ISSUE: CRITICAL REALISM IN IS RESEARCH
CRITICAL REALISM IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH
John Mingers
Kent Business School, University of Kent,
Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ UNITED KINGDOM {[email protected]}
Alistair Mutch
Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street,
Nottingham NG1 4BU UNITED KINGDOM {[email protected]}
Leslie Willcocks
London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street,
London WC2A 2AE UNITED KINGDOM {[email protected]}
Introduction
There has been growing interest in a range of disciplines
(Ackroyd and Fleetwood 2000; Danermark et al. 2002;
Fleetwood 1999; Fleetwood and Ackroyd 2004), not least
information systems (Dobson 2001; Longshore Smith 2006;
Mingers 2004b; Mutch 2010b; Volkoff et al. 2007; Wynn and
Williams 2012) in ideas derived from the philosophical tradi-
tion of critical realism. Critical realism offers exciting pros-
pects in shifting attention toward the real problems that we
face and their underlying causes, and away from a focus on
data and methods of analysis. As such, it offers a robust
framework for the use of a variety of methods in order to gain
a better understanding of the meaning and significance of
information systems in the contemporary world.
Although the term critical realism has been used in a number
of different traditions, we are primarily concerned with that
developed from the foundational work of Roy Bhaskar in the
philosophy of science, later extended in the social arena by
authors such as Archer and Sayer (Archer et al. 1998; Bhaskar
1978, 1979; Mingers 2004b; Sayer 2000). In this tradition,
the benefits of CR are seen as:
• CR defends a strongly realist ontology that there is an
existing, causally efficacious, world independent of our
knowledge. It defends this against both classical positi-
vism that would reduce the world to that which can be
empirically observed and measured, and the various
forms of constructivism that would reduce the world to
our human knowledge of it. Hence it is realist.
• CR recognizes that our access to this world is in fact
limited and always mediated by our perceptual and theo-
retical lenses. It accepts epistemic relativity (that knowl-
edge is always local and historical), but not judgmental
relativity (that all viewpoints must be equally valid).
Hence it is critical in a Kantian sense.
• CR accepts the existence of different types of objects of
knowledge—physical, social, and conceptual—which
have different ontological and epistemological charac-
teristics. They therefore require a range of different
research methods and methodologies to access them.
Since a particular object of research may well have
different characteristics, it is likely that a mixed-method
research strategy (i.e., a variety of methods in the same
research study) will be necessary and CR supports this.
In this introduction, we will first introduce the basic concepts
of critical realism as a philosophy of science.
The Search for the Meaning book 1 chap 8Miguel Cano
Given the current confusion of values, it would be convenient to return to nature to find possible grounds on which to build a system of common and universal values that can harmonize the various conflicting and contradictory views today.
This book analyzes several classic controversies such as the conflict between materialism and idealism, the debate about the origin and evolution of life and the universe, the controversy between determinism and freedom, and the problem between the individual and the totality.
As conclusion, a number of general principles of nature are enumerated, which are very useful to harmonize the different scientific, philosophical and religious traditions.
A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATTER, ENERGY, INFORMATION, AND CONSCIOUSNESSijrap
This paper discusses the advantages of describing the universe, or nature, in terms of information and consciousness. Some problems encountered by theoretical physicists in the quest for the theory of everything stem from the limitations of trying to understand everything in terms of matter and energy only. However, if everything, including matter, energy, life, and mental processes, is described in terms of information and consciousness, much progress can be made in the search for the ultimate theory of the universe. As brilliant and successful as physics and chemistry have been over the last two centuries, it is important that nature is not viewed solely in terms of matter and energy. Two additional components are needed to unlock her secrets. While extensive writing exists that describes the connection between matter and energy and their physical basis, little work has been done to learn the special relationship between matter, energy, information, and consciousness.
A Special Relationship between Matter, Energy, Information, and Consciousnessijrap
This paper discusses the advantages of describing the universe, or nature, in terms of information andconsciousness. Some problems encountered by theoretical physicists in the quest for the theory of everythingstem from the limitations of trying to understand everything in terms of matter and energy only. However, ifeverything, including matter, energy, life, and mental processes, is described in terms of information andconsciousness, much progress can be made in the search for the ultimate theory of the universe. As brilliantand successful as physics and chemistry have been over the last two centuries, it is important that nature isnot viewed solely in terms of matter and energy. Two additional components are needed to unlock her secrets.While extensive writing exists that describes the connection between matter and energy and their physicalbasis, little work has been done to learn the special relationship between matter, energy, information, andconsciousness.
A Special Relationship between Matter, Energy, Information, and Consciousnessijrap
This paper discusses the advantages of describing the universe, or nature, in terms of information and
consciousness. Some problems encountered by theoretical physicists in the quest for the theory of everything
stem from the limitations of trying to understand everything in terms of matter and energy only. However, if
everything, including matter, energy, life, and mental processes, is described in terms of information and
consciousness, much progress can be made in the search for the ultimate theory of the universe. As brilliant
and successful as physics and chemistry have been over the last two centuries, it is important that nature is
not viewed solely in terms of matter and energy. Two additional components are needed to unlock her secrets.
While extensive writing exists that describes the connection between matter and energy and their physical
basis, little work has been done to learn the special relationship between matter, energy, information, and
consciousness.
talk presented at the 22nd International Interdisciplinary Seminar(London and Oxford)
on Quantum Physics, Evolution & Algorithms
Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford 2-1-2020
With his bestselling publication, A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking introduced in 1988 a new genre by connecting modern science with the question of the existence of God. In the posthumous publication Brief Answers to the Big Questions, he continues with his quest for the ultimate truth. The current study presents a philosophical analysis of this search in terms of the classical philosophy of Aristotle and Aquinas. Causality is the central concept employed by Hawking. However, its meaning, in the modern scientific and philosophical literature, is limited to temporal causality in contrast to the view of classical philosophy. Only the latter one accepts causality from outside space and time, with other words, a reality transcending the material world. In a quote presented in the discussion, Hawking defines himself as an atheist. After a careful reading of his writings, however, doubts arise about his unbelief.
Beethoven IX about Joy and God
based on the interpretation of Otto Baensch, Aufbau und Sinn des Chorfinales in Beethovens neunter Symphonie, Berlin 1930
(Construction and Meaning of the Final part with Choir in Beethoven IX)
summary of Otto Baensch:
The 9th symphony conducts us from despair (movement 1) to joy (movement 4).
Two different approaches to escape despair are only preliminary and in vain
dedication to exterior appearance and fuss (movement 2)
entering the realm of the sentiments (movement 3)
the only solution: bring order to reality by acting cheerfully
Talk presented on February 24, 2020
at Leidenhoven College in Amsterdam
by Alfred Driessen
Vrije wil, alleen een illusie?
presentatie gehouden op 2 maart 2019 in Conferentieoord Zonnewende
De overtuiging dat vrijheid alleen een illusie is, wordt door velen verdedigd en vindt ook vaak steun bij natuurwetenschappers. In deze presentatie wordt getoond dat het juist is dat er meer nodig is om over vrijheid te kunnen spreken dan alleen een wereld die uitsluitend door natuurwetten wordt bepaald. Het is nodig een geestelijk aspect in de mens te accepteren, de menselijke ziel namelijk, met zelfbewustzijn, verstand en vrije wil. Alleen op deze manier wordt de rijkdom van het menselijk gedrag inzichtelijk.
Evolutie en schlepping
door Alfred Driessen, prof. emeritus natuurkunde
Er zijn weinig onderwerpen in de wetenschap die zo veel losmaken als juist de biologische evolutie. Al sinds de eerste jaren van deze theorie, in de tijd van Darwin tot op de dag van vandaag wordt er een discussie gevoerd tussen voorstanders en tegenstanders, die de evolutieleer als een bedreiging van het geloof in een almachtige God zien. De discussie werd zelfs tot in de rechtszaal voortgezet. Sommigen zetten de situatie op scherp met de slagzin: of wetenschap of geloof, d.w.z. ofwel evolutie of kiezen voor God. Persoonlijk vraag ik mij dan af of het echt zo is. Bestaat er dan een waarheid voor de wetenschap en een andere voor het geloof?
In de presentatie wordt getoond dat in de biologie evolutie geen punt van discussie is. Het lijkt erop dat vanaf de oercel tot de huidige planten- en dierenwereld alles zich ontwikkeld heeft in kleine stappen. De verhitte discussie over ontbrekende stappen, de missing links, is vaak door de feiten achterhaald: deze worden steeds weer gevonden.
Samenvattend kan men zeggen: er bestaat een goed onderbouwde en door feiten ondersteunde biologische theorie, de evolutietheorie. Als men daarna op basis van deze theorie naar diepere oorzaken zoekt en dan in wetenschappelijk-filosofische overwegingen de afwezigheid van natuurlijke oorzaken als toeval bestempelt, verlaat men het gebied van de natuurwetenschappen en zou men beter over evolutionisme kunnen spreken. Het evolutionisme maakt van de natuurwetenschappelijke evolutietheorie een filosofisch wereldbeeld.
In de presentatie wordt ook ingegaan op het ontstaan van het menselijk lichaam, en dat er tot op celniveau verschillende genen voor man en vrouw worden gevonden.
Aan het eind worden enkele citaten gegeven uit de Bijbel. Met de aanvaarding van deze citaten uit de Bijbel en de kennis van de moderne biologie kan men zeggen dat evolutie een zeer elegante vorm van schepping is.
Aan het eind wordt er integraal een essay weergeven over het dubbele gezicht van de evolutie.
Causality from outside Time
Alfred Driessen
Talk presented at the 21th International Interdisciplinary Seminar,
Science and Society: Defining what is human
Netherhall House, London, 5-1-2019
Content
Introduction
Time in Relativity
Time in Quantum Mechanics
Conclusions
Conclusions from this study:
There are causes beyond the realm of science,
- they are not observable by physical or scientific means
- the effects of these causes, however, are observable by physical and scientific means.
Physics is not complete.
Gij zijt Petrus, zo sprak Jezus van Nazareth tot Simon na zijn plechtige belijdenis. De evangelist Matteüs vertelt: Op mijn beurt zeg ik u: "Gij zijt Petrus; en op deze steenrots zal Ik mijn Kerk bouwen en de poorten der hel zullen haar niet overweldigen."
Wat betekent deze belofte? Aan wat denkt een vrome Jood als een rots ter sprake komt? Met enkele citaten uit de Bijbel wordt hierop een antwoord gegeven. Er blijft de vraag hoe deze enthousiaste maar ook vaak zwakke visser Simon een steenrots kan zijn van een onderneming die nu reeds bijna 2000 jaar de aandacht trekt.
In het tweede deel kijken wij wat de Catechismus van de katholiek Kerk zegt over Petrus en zijn opvolgers. Zo vindt men in punt 882: "De paus, bisschop van Rome en opvolger van Petrus, is het blijvend en zichtbaar beginsel en fundament van de eenheid, zowel van de bisschoppen als van de menigte van de gelovigen."
Hiermee zijn niet alle vragen beantwoord in deze tijd van crisis. De heilige Jozefmaria schrijft:
"Zoals er in Christus twee naturen zijn —de menselijke en de goddelijke— zo kunnen wij, analoog daaraan, spreken over een menselijk element en een goddelijk element in de Kerk. De evidentie van dit menselijk deel is voor niemand verborgen. De Kerk bestaat, in deze wereld, uit mensen en voor mensen. En wie mensen zegt, spreekt over vrijheid, over de mogelijkheid grootse dingen of kleingeestige dingen te doen, over heldendaden en struikelpartijen."
En, ondanks alles, blijft de boven genoemde belofte aan Simon altijd van kracht.
zie ook www.bit.ly/paus-en-kerk
het heelal, een ontdekkingsreis,
zie ook YouTube: www.bit.ly/het-heelal
door Alfred Driessen op 17-3-2018
Een heldere winternacht, buiten de drukte van de steden en met de blik naar boven. Sinds duizenden jaren ziet de mens de immense sterrenhemel en wordt stil. Intussen weten wij dat wij een bijna oneindige ruimte inkijken: ieder ster is op zijn beurt een zon zoals de onze, die echter op een enorme afstand staat. In deze voordracht gaan wij op reis naar de meest verre plaatsen die tegelijk een reis terug in de tijd is, miljarden en miljarden jaren. Wat was er in het begin, en hoe kon het tot een begin komen? De wetenschap heeft uiteindelijk geen definitief antwoord. Het oudste boek echter stelt eenvoudig: in het begin schiep God hemel en aarde.
inhoud
inleiding
ons zonnestelsel
onze melkweg
nu begint het pas echt
wat zegt de Bijbel?
In several places of his Physica Aristotle analyzes the famous antimony of Zeno about the competition between Achilles and the Tortoise. He emphasizes that any movement, or more general any change, is actually a continuum, i.e. an unity. It depends on the specific movement or change whether this continuum is potentially divisible in parts. In fact, there could be certain minima of the division. In line with this approach, Quantum Mechanics states that there are minima or quanta of movement (or change), with other words, there are no gradual changes in the world of micro- and nano-structures. This behavior is completely unexpected when starting with the mechanistic approach of classical physics.
Taking another finding of Aristotle, the four aspects of causality including final cause, one gets another ingredient of Quantum Mechanics. Movements and changes are not only influenced by the initial state -describing the present situation- but also by the final state which takes account of the future situation. As an example one may mention Fermi’s golden rule, where the initial and final state symmetrically determine the transition probability.
Bringing these two philosophical concepts of Aristotle together namely quanta of movement and final cause, a new light is shed on fundamental issues in Quantum Mechanics. One may mention the experimental evidence for contextuality, which is considered one of the weird phenomena in Quantum Mechanics. As illustration, some of the examples of experiments with optical microresonators are given.
De waarde van het lijden
Alfred Driessen, presentatie gehouden in Zonnewende op 31 januari 2009
Het mysterie van het lijden begint pas begrijpelijk te worden als wij het lijden en sterven van de Zoon van God beschouwen. Het laatste en definitieve woord daarbij is de verrijzenis op de zondag van Pasen. In deze presentatie wordt getracht aannemelijk te maken dat lijden zin verkrijgt als het uiteindelijke motief liefde is.
De heilige Jozefmaria drukt het als volgt uit: Als de graankorrel niet sterft, blijft hij onvruchtbaar. - Zou jij geen graankorrel willen zijn, en willen sterven door versterving, om volle aren voort te brengen? - Moge Jezus je akker zegenen! De weg nr. 199.
Overview of Presentations in the Field of Philosophy and ScienceAlfred Driessen
Presentations in the field of science and philosophy
Alfred Driessen
2007-2017
This document gives an overview of his presentations with hyperlinks to slideshare, where the presentations can be viewed and the pdf-files can be downloaded.
What makes us human?
Talk presented at the 19th International Interdisciplinary Seminar What differentiates human persons from animals and machines? Netherhall House, London, 2-1-2017
CONTENT
Introduction:
--Frans de Waal: the story of Yeroen, a dram of three chimpansees in Burger’s Zoo, Arnhem
Dealing with information
--acquisition and dealing with information
--abstraction
--life and human timeline
--the molecular clock
Consciousness, free will, technology
--consciousness
--artist view on seeing himself (Escher)
--free will
--technology
The bright principle hypothesis
--timeline of characteristic levels
--there is a singularity at zero
Illustration with a masterpiece of art
--Rembrandt: Titus in a monk’s habit
Aquinas’ Theory of Perception
Talk presented at the 19th International Interdisciplinary Seminar What differentiates human persons from animals and machines? Netherhall House, London, 3-1-2017
CONTENT
Introduction
Hylomorphism: matter and form
Acquisition and dealing with information
Isomorphism of mind and reality
Conclusions
Lisska 2016
distinction between esse naturale and esse intentionale
It is through the sense impression in the faculty that the sense faculty ‘becomes’ the sense object in the external world, but immaterially or intentionally. The same form is exemplified ‘intentionally’ in the faculty and ‘existentionally’ in the object; this is the Aristotelian insight further enhanced by Aquinas. There is an identity of form, one in esse intentionale and the other in esse naturale, indicating the two modes of exemplification utilized. Without this identity of structure rendered possible by the two modes of exemplification, the isomorphism of mind and reality in Aristotelian ontology and philosophy of mind would be impossible.
CONCLUSIONS
Hylomorphism is a powerful approach for understanding the full richness of human intellectual capacity.
The definition of truth of Aquinas becomes evident
truth: adaequatio rei et intellectus
truth is the conformity of the intellect to the things.
The non-material dimension of the human mind is fully acknowledged.
The application of concepts of the metaphysics of Aristotle and Aquinas is a adequate starting point for the study of philosophical issues of modern science.
Chance and purpose: Can a scientist with tools of his science distinguish bet...Alfred Driessen
Can a scientist with tools of his science distinguish between chance and purpose (design)?
In order to solve this question a Gedanken experiment originally conceived by John Bell is considered. In this experiment coins are tossed and the results - head or tail - are displayed as set of characters in an array. Suppose now a magic power turning certain coins once more. Again a random pattern appears. Only by superposing both random patterns, a letter combination EPR appears. Apparently there is purpose in the appearance of EPR, as the magic power is selecting certain coins to be turned once more. The scientist, however, who is looking at the two patterns will not recognize any structure beyond randomness and will describe the appearance of EPR as a pure matter of chance.
There is no physical or scientific equipment to measure purpose. Only a philosophical analysis is able to decide whether there is something real beside the physical level. The result of this analysis yields two alternatives for a non-deterministic world: either there is only chance, or there is also purpose. Both are metaphysical statements. For illustration a few statements of philosophers (Gilson, Thomas Aquinas) as well as scientists (Hawking, de Broglie, Einstein, Nienhuis) are given. In the last part of the talk the role of the final cause, as already introduced by Aristotle, is emphasized. It appears that by restricting reality to pure physical or biological systems, one excludes final aspects of causality. In that case, evolution of the universe and also of life is necessarily blind and directed by chance. With such an approach complexity, order and beauty in nature become inherently irrational and incomprehensible.
This presentation has originally been given at the 2007 seminar of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies
held at Netherhall, London on 2-1-2007.
The general topic of this seminar was:
Does God play dice?
Evolution, Randomness and Intelligence in Nature
Het jaar 2016 is door paus Franciscus uitgeroepen tot het heilig Jaar van Barmhartigheid (8 december 2015 - op 20 november 2016).
Paus Franciscus hoopt dat iedere christen zich bezint op de geestelijke en lichamelijke werken van barmhartigheid. Hij wijst er op dat de Heer ons oordeelt naar de mate waarin wij hongerigen gevoed hebben, dorstigen te drinken hebben gegeven, de naakte gekleed hebben, de vreemdeling welkom geheten hebben, zieken genezen hebben, de gevangenen bezocht hebben en de doden begraven hebben.
In het Rijksmuseum Amsterdam hangt een beroemd schilderij van de meester van Alkmaar over de werken van barmhartigheid. In een aantrekkelijke en didactisch verantwoorde manier worden de 7 werken toegelicht. Daarbij staat centraal de rol van Christus die zich identificeert met de behoeftigen aan wie barmhartigheid wordt bewezen.
The Universe as a Computer Game
Introduction
The French mathematician and philosopher Laplace (1790-1799) was intrigued by recent progress in the knowledge of the laws that determine the orbits of the planets within our solar system. With these laws and careful calculations it was possible to predict the movement of the planets for the future and also for the past. In order to clarify the philosophical consequences he performed what later would be called a Gedanken experiment. He introduced a superior spirit with unlimited processing-power and unlimited knowledge of the state of the universe: the ‘demon of Laplace’.
Just by intellectual activity (by a demon) the temporal evolution of the physical reality can be in part or even completely explained. The question now arises whether this is just a happy coincidence or that one could look for an ontological basis. What is the relation between material reality and intellectual activity or properties? And especially, how can the step from intellectual activity to reality be made? How can intellectual activity lead to something so evidently material as our real world? Hawkings expresses in lyric words the latter question: Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe?
Metaphysics in a Nutshell
Classic philosophy already was puzzled by the close relation between intellectual activity and material reality. In the beautiful allegory of the cave, Plato related the material world to the invisible world of the ideas. And ideas suppose intellectual activity. Aristotle made a step further in stating that material things being physically one are metaphysically composed by two components: the (philosophical) matter and the form which informs the matter.
Consequences for Physics
This presentation is primarily an intent to apply the philosophy of Aristotle and Aquinas to exploit the relation between intellectual activity and reality. The examples of modern physics are given to demonstrate that without a powerful metaphysics the phenomena remain completely weird or strange.
Conclusions
There is an astonishing relation between reality and intellectual activity.
Computer games creating increasingly complex virtual reality could serve as a paradigm for the above mentioned astonishing relation.
The ontological basis for this relation may be found in the hylemorphism of Aristotle and in the creative power of God in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Within the Creative Computer Game Paradigm many issues in fundamental science become intelligible.
It is worthwhile to consider as a working hypothesis:
Imagine a creative intellect who is creator in the most strict meaning of the word of all reality.
This talk was presented at the International Symposium on "Is evolution the smartest form of creation?" at Pedralbes, Barcelona, 2-1-2016
het huwelijk in de Bijbel
Deze presentatie geeft een resumé van de belangrijkste citaten van de Bijbel over het huwelijk
Inhoud
-Inleiding
-Het huwelijk in het Oude Testament
-Jezus Christus over het huwelijk
-De visie van de h. Paulus
-Conclusies
-- De leer van Christus betreffende het huwelijk is iets nieuws in de geschiedenis van Israel. Want eerder werd de echtscheiding niet alleen getolereerd, maar ook zonder meer geaccepteerd.
-- Om de onbreekbare eenheid van man en vrouw in het huwelijksbond aan te tonen, verwees Christus naar de oorsprong van de schepping. In dat begin schiep God hen als man en vrouw zodat zij een vlees zouden kunnen worden.
Dit is de Nederlandse versie van Biblia y Matrimonio, door
Bernardo Estrada, Prof. Heilige Schrift
en Alfred Driessen
26-8-2015
La versión español se encuentra en: http://www.slideshare.net/CSRsource/biblia-y-matrimonio
What about Adam and Eve
The origin of life and more specifically the origin of man is one of the big questions in science, philosophy and theology that continuously attracts attention of all of us. To know the roots of one’s own existence and related to it one’s destiny is not just an academic question. It is also related to the meaning and the quest for happiness and fulfilment in our existence.
We have the contribution of natural sciences, but also the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Bible, and the teaching of the Catholic Church.
In this presentation an attempt is made harmonize the different contributions in a consistent picture. This is based on the convincement that truth, also in this question, can only be one.
The presentation consists of:
I. Introduction
II. What do we know about Adam &Eve (with emphasis on the first book of the Bible: Genesis)
III. What do we know from science?
In this part extensive use is made of a presentation of Richard Durbin: On the polygenic origin of humanity
IV. What does the Catholic Church tell us?
V. Conclusions
This is the second version, presented at Pedralbes, Barcelona, January 2016.
Het dubbele gezicht van de evolutie
Er zijn weinig onderwerpen in de wetenschap die zo veel losmaken als juist de biologische evolutie. Al sinds de eerste jaren van deze theorie, in de tijd van Darwin tot op de dag van vandaag wordt er een discussie gevoerd tussen voorstanders en tegenstanders, die de evolutieleer als een bedreiging van het geloof in een almachtige God zien. De discussie werd zelfs tot in de rechtszaal voortgezet. Sommigen zetten de situatie op scherp met de slagzin: of wetenschap of geloof, d.w.z. ofwel evolutie of kiezen voor God.
Persoonlijk vraag ik mij dan af of het echt zo is. Ik ken verstandige wetenschappers die evolutie als een van de grote succesvolle wetenschappelijke theorieën zien en anderzijds verstandige gelovigen die een vast geloof hebben in God, de schepper van hemel en aarde. Bestaat er dan een waarheid voor de wetenschap en een andere voor het geloof? Moet ik schizofreen zijn om als wetenschapper in God te kunnen geloven?
Commentaar op de encycliek Spe Salvi van paus Benedictus XVIAlfred Driessen
Op 30-11-2007 schreef Paus Benedictus de encycliek Spe salvi over de christelijke hoop.
1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus” – “In deze hoop zijn wij gered”, zegt Paulus tot de Romeinen en tot ons (Rom. 8, 24).
De “verlossing”, het heil, is er volgens het christelijk geloof niet zonder meer. Verlossing is ons gegeven in de zin dat ons hoop geschonken is, een betrouwbare hoop, van waaruit wij ons heden aankunnen: het heden, ook het moeilijke heden, kan geleefd en aanvaard worden, als het naar een doel leidt en als wij zeker kunnen zijn van dat doel, als dat doel zo groot is dat het de inspanning van de weg rechtvaardigt.
De volgende presentatie is een persoonlijk commentaar op dit belangrijk pauselijk document.
Introduction:
RNA interference (RNAi) or Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) is an important biological process for modulating eukaryotic gene expression.
It is highly conserved process of posttranscriptional gene silencing by which double stranded RNA (dsRNA) causes sequence-specific degradation of mRNA sequences.
dsRNA-induced gene silencing (RNAi) is reported in a wide range of eukaryotes ranging from worms, insects, mammals and plants.
This process mediates resistance to both endogenous parasitic and exogenous pathogenic nucleic acids, and regulates the expression of protein-coding genes.
What are small ncRNAs?
micro RNA (miRNA)
short interfering RNA (siRNA)
Properties of small non-coding RNA:
Involved in silencing mRNA transcripts.
Called “small” because they are usually only about 21-24 nucleotides long.
Synthesized by first cutting up longer precursor sequences (like the 61nt one that Lee discovered).
Silence an mRNA by base pairing with some sequence on the mRNA.
Discovery of siRNA?
The first small RNA:
In 1993 Rosalind Lee (Victor Ambros lab) was studying a non- coding gene in C. elegans, lin-4, that was involved in silencing of another gene, lin-14, at the appropriate time in the
development of the worm C. elegans.
Two small transcripts of lin-4 (22nt and 61nt) were found to be complementary to a sequence in the 3' UTR of lin-14.
Because lin-4 encoded no protein, she deduced that it must be these transcripts that are causing the silencing by RNA-RNA interactions.
Types of RNAi ( non coding RNA)
MiRNA
Length (23-25 nt)
Trans acting
Binds with target MRNA in mismatch
Translation inhibition
Si RNA
Length 21 nt.
Cis acting
Bind with target Mrna in perfect complementary sequence
Piwi-RNA
Length ; 25 to 36 nt.
Expressed in Germ Cells
Regulates trnasposomes activity
MECHANISM OF RNAI:
First the double-stranded RNA teams up with a protein complex named Dicer, which cuts the long RNA into short pieces.
Then another protein complex called RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex) discards one of the two RNA strands.
The RISC-docked, single-stranded RNA then pairs with the homologous mRNA and destroys it.
THE RISC COMPLEX:
RISC is large(>500kD) RNA multi- protein Binding complex which triggers MRNA degradation in response to MRNA
Unwinding of double stranded Si RNA by ATP independent Helicase
Active component of RISC is Ago proteins( ENDONUCLEASE) which cleave target MRNA.
DICER: endonuclease (RNase Family III)
Argonaute: Central Component of the RNA-Induced Silencing Complex (RISC)
One strand of the dsRNA produced by Dicer is retained in the RISC complex in association with Argonaute
ARGONAUTE PROTEIN :
1.PAZ(PIWI/Argonaute/ Zwille)- Recognition of target MRNA
2.PIWI (p-element induced wimpy Testis)- breaks Phosphodiester bond of mRNA.)RNAse H activity.
MiRNA:
The Double-stranded RNAs are naturally produced in eukaryotic cells during development, and they have a key role in regulating gene expression .
A brief information about the SCOP protein database used in bioinformatics.
The Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) database is a comprehensive and authoritative resource for the structural and evolutionary relationships of proteins. It provides a detailed and curated classification of protein structures, grouping them into families, superfamilies, and folds based on their structural and sequence similarities.
This pdf is about the Schizophrenia.
For more details visit on YouTube; @SELF-EXPLANATORY;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiarMZDNhe1A3Rnpr_WkzA/videos
Thanks...!
Seminar of U.V. Spectroscopy by SAMIR PANDASAMIR PANDA
Spectroscopy is a branch of science dealing the study of interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter.
Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy refers to absorption spectroscopy or reflect spectroscopy in the UV-VIS spectral region.
Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy is an analytical method that can measure the amount of light received by the analyte.
What is greenhouse gasses and how many gasses are there to affect the Earth.moosaasad1975
What are greenhouse gasses how they affect the earth and its environment what is the future of the environment and earth how the weather and the climate effects.
Richard's aventures in two entangled wonderlandsRichard Gill
Since the loophole-free Bell experiments of 2020 and the Nobel prizes in physics of 2022, critics of Bell's work have retreated to the fortress of super-determinism. Now, super-determinism is a derogatory word - it just means "determinism". Palmer, Hance and Hossenfelder argue that quantum mechanics and determinism are not incompatible, using a sophisticated mathematical construction based on a subtle thinning of allowed states and measurements in quantum mechanics, such that what is left appears to make Bell's argument fail, without altering the empirical predictions of quantum mechanics. I think however that it is a smoke screen, and the slogan "lost in math" comes to my mind. I will discuss some other recent disproofs of Bell's theorem using the language of causality based on causal graphs. Causal thinking is also central to law and justice. I will mention surprising connections to my work on serial killer nurse cases, in particular the Dutch case of Lucia de Berk and the current UK case of Lucy Letby.
This presentation explores a brief idea about the structural and functional attributes of nucleotides, the structure and function of genetic materials along with the impact of UV rays and pH upon them.
(May 29th, 2024) Advancements in Intravital Microscopy- Insights for Preclini...Scintica Instrumentation
Intravital microscopy (IVM) is a powerful tool utilized to study cellular behavior over time and space in vivo. Much of our understanding of cell biology has been accomplished using various in vitro and ex vivo methods; however, these studies do not necessarily reflect the natural dynamics of biological processes. Unlike traditional cell culture or fixed tissue imaging, IVM allows for the ultra-fast high-resolution imaging of cellular processes over time and space and were studied in its natural environment. Real-time visualization of biological processes in the context of an intact organism helps maintain physiological relevance and provide insights into the progression of disease, response to treatments or developmental processes.
In this webinar we give an overview of advanced applications of the IVM system in preclinical research. IVIM technology is a provider of all-in-one intravital microscopy systems and solutions optimized for in vivo imaging of live animal models at sub-micron resolution. The system’s unique features and user-friendly software enables researchers to probe fast dynamic biological processes such as immune cell tracking, cell-cell interaction as well as vascularization and tumor metastasis with exceptional detail. This webinar will also give an overview of IVM being utilized in drug development, offering a view into the intricate interaction between drugs/nanoparticles and tissues in vivo and allows for the evaluation of therapeutic intervention in a variety of tissues and organs. This interdisciplinary collaboration continues to drive the advancements of novel therapeutic strategies.
(May 29th, 2024) Advancements in Intravital Microscopy- Insights for Preclini...
Life and Quantum Biology
1. «acta philosophica» · i, 24, 2015 · pp. 69-86
LIFE AND QUANTUM BIOLOGY,
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
Alfred Driessen*
Summary
: 1. Introduction. 2. Life in philosophy. 3. Need of a system approach in science. 4.
Discussion and concluding remarks.
1. Introduction
In the last years a number of experimental and theoretical studies have been
published which relate quantum mechanics (QM) to biological systems (Ve-
dral 2011), (Romero-Isart et al. 2010), (Collini et al. 2010), (Gerlich et al. 2011),
(Panichayangangkoon et al. 2010), (Abbot et al. 2008), (Lloyd 2011), (Ball 2011),
(Lambert et al. 2013). The importance of this is not the occurrence of quan-
tum effects in biology – that’s nothing new – but the fact that these play a non-
trivial role (Davies 2004) as they occur at an unexpected size- and temperature
scale. When dealing with QM it seems that one enters a new world, the quan-
tum world, where new concepts are often in conflict with prejudices based on
a mechanistic world view of classical physics. For some this new world seems
to be strange and exotic, full of, what is called, quantum weirdness. But per-
haps part of the strange impressions could be avoided if we would draw more
attention to the intellectual tools we are using for our analysis. In the discus-
sion about the fundamental issues of QM inevitably one uses concepts like
causality, (un-) determinism, movement, change, reality, space and time
: all
of these also being studied in philosophy. The foundation of QM belongs not
only to the field of science in the sense of natural science. Also philosophy,
part of the Geisteswissenschaften (humanities) enters this field as it delivers and
develops the concepts and tools needed for a fundamental analysis.
There is a big issue with philosophy as, from the outside, one observes a
group of people who in nearly 3000 years of history came up with quite differ-
ent, and sometimes contradictory approaches to explain the ultimate causes
of the universe and the beings therein. In spite of this discouraging diversity
one can distinguish a classical line of thinking originating from the Greek
* Emeritus Professor University of Twente, private address
: Jan Luijkenstraat 52, 1071 CS
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail
: driessen.alfred@gmail.com
The author would like to thank Gerard Nienhuis and Daan van Schalkwijk for helpful
discussions.
2. 70 alfred driessen
philosopher Aristotle, further elaborated by Thomas Aquinas and others and
continued nowadays as an active field of study at numerous academic insti-
tutions. In the following, often reference is made to this specific Aristotelian-
Thomistic (A-T) approach, thereby inspired by P. Hoenen, who in his phil-
osophical analysis of modern science (Hoenen 1947) applied in an original
way classical concepts. This choice for a philosophy inspired by Aristotle is
not arbitrary, because Aristotelian logic, for example, is still at the basis of
mathematical logic and mainstream scientific argumentation. Also his analy-
sis of causality and his concept of First Cause is still extensively used, see, for
example, Stephen Hawkings’s A brief history of time (Hawking 1988), (Dries-
sen 1995). Heisenberg, one of the founding fathers of QM, extensively used
Aristotelian metaphysics in his explanation of the fundamentals of this new
theory (Heisenberg 2007). Soler Gil (2003) demonstrates that the Aristotelian
ontology can be successfully applied to objects of QM.
Turning now our attention to living matter, again a new world seems to
open, so familiar to us human beings, but also so strange or weird as the
quantum world. It is often called the mystery of life. Up to now no biologi-
cal material or even less a complete cell could be synthesized starting from
pure chemical substances. There is a mystery about life in all its forms from
the most primitive forms, a virus, a bacteria up to higher levels in flora and
fauna. When speaking above about the quantum world it became obvious
that scientific terms are also studied or even had their origin in philosophy.
The same holds for the answer to the question, “What is life
?”. Philosophers
from the very beginning of ancient Greek history, have developed profound
ideas about life, see, e.g., Weber (2011).
For many scientists the ability to understand life and to reproduce biologi-
cal processes is a matter of time and years of intensive research. In order to
achieve this understanding one should unravel the chemical processes and
study the underlying physical phenomena in detail. According to this view, bi-
ology will eventually become applied chemistry and chemistry applied phys-
ics. Others prefer a holistic view instead and consider living matter as some-
thing that cannot be reduced to an agglomerate of lifeless building blocks.
In engineering a similar situation can be observed. Some concentrate on the
components and others prefer a system approach. A unique classification,
however, in terms of system or components is not possible, as a multi-level
hierarchical structure can be found. This is a general property of complex sys-
tems where no natural detail level can be assigned for an adequate description,
see, e.g. Mitchell (2009). To give an engineering example, the components of
a simple telecommunication system are on their own subsystems, namely a
transmitter, receiver and a transmission line. Again, a large number of these
telecommunication systems can be integrated to form a communication net-
work or eventually the World Wide Web. Coming back to the highly complex
3. life and quantum biology 71
biological systems one may state that reductionism is not the one and only
option, see (Brigandt and Love 2012).
In the present study two concepts will be central
: information and unity.
To begin with the last, unity is the central concept in living matter. This can
be seen by considering the opposite, division or decomposition, which is the
most clear manifestation of death. In the 19th
century mechanism, unity is
reduced to a geometrical arrangement of parts, like in a machine. QM has
proven that that is not the correct approach, as entanglement and superposi-
tion play an essential role. And these new phenomena, which have no classical
equivalent, are both closely related to the concept of unity. Information is the
other characteristic of living matter as is illustrated, for example, in the title
of a paper on the origin of life by the Nobel Laureate Manfred Eigen
: Wie ent-
steht Information
? (How does information originate) (Eigen 1976). Information
is related to the complexity of a system. And living organisms are top-ranked
in the ladder of complexity, as they are far away from the boring periodicity
of minerals and the trivial chaos in an ideal gas (Arecchi 1993). Information
connects also to the philosophy of Aristotle, as the concept of information
is related to the reception or acquisition of a form in the Aristotelian sense (Del Re
1993).
It is a challenging endeavor to deal with three disciplines
: biology, physics
and philosophy in a single paper. We will follow the same method Aristotle
applied in his work. In ancient Greece it was possible to acquire an adequate
knowledge of the science of his time in a single lifetime. Aristotle acquired
this knowledge and applied it to lay the foundations of his philosophy and
provide illustrative examples. Science since then has made an enormous prog-
ress, but the ultimate objective to integrate science and philosophy in a con-
sistent picture still remains. The everyday experience that was sufficient for
the Greek philosophers is now increased by scientific evidence that is only un-
derstandable by the specialists. Close interaction therefore is needed between
philosophers and scientists that eventually would lead to better understanding
of philosophy as well as science.
This work starts with an overview of how life is treated in the classical A-T
approach and gives also comments on a few alternatives. In the subsequent
section the focus is on the relation between the whole and the constituent
parts. It is the most challenging part as philosophical concepts and statements
are evaluated in the light of scientific experience. The latter mostly include ex-
amples from QM and also quantum biology. In the discussion some specula-
tive ideas are presented about life being a kind of macroscopic entangled state
(see Vedral 2011) enabling unexpected efficiency in attaining advantageous be-
havior. Finally a recommendation is given for an open dialogue between phi-
losophers and scientists with an added value for both.
4. 72 alfred driessen
2. Life in philosophy
For common people an animal, for example a dog, is clearly distinguished
from non-living objects. Classical philosophy as expressed by Aristotle follows
this common-sense distinction and gives the following definition
: by life we
mean self-nutrition and growth with its correlative decay (Aristotle 350 BC).This
definition is valid for the three stages of life
: plants, animals and human be-
ings. Aquinas adds in his commentary on Aristotle an additional aspect
:
«
Something is living not only because it has growth and decay, but also because it is
able to feel and grasp intellectually and is able to carry out other works of life…It is
therefore a property of life to move oneself, whereby movement has to be taken in
the widest meaning
» (Aquinas 1269).
It is obvious that Aquinas addition regarding feeling and intellectual activities
within the material world is valid only for animals and human beings. In both
definitions an important assumption is made
: If living objects perform their
own activities, like self-nutrition or growths, it means that they are subjects
clearly distinguished from the environment. And as subjects they possess a
high level of unity. The aspect of unity is important and may be illustrated
by the following, perhaps somewhat crude example. If a stone is divided, one
obtains two stones with a reduced size. If a dog is divided one gets two pieces
of a cadaver or in the best case a stunted dog and some body parts.
In order to find a sufficient reason for the observed unity in living -and also
lifeless objects- Aristotle and his followers developed the idea of matter and
form, or with Greek terms the hylomorphism. Life is supported by a principle
of life, the form (Greek morphe, Latin forma) which informs a certain matter
(Greek hyle, Latin materia) such that it is a living organism. In the above given
comparison between a dog and a stone one could say that information makes
the difference, as the form is responsible for something being what it is. The
form of living objects Aristotle coined psyche (soul). It is important to note
that the form is a metaphysical principle of life, which means in general not an
object of reality existing on its own in- or outside the organism. With the hyl-
omorphism Aristotle was able to make a philosophical analysis of change in
terms of a remaining principle, the matter and the exchanged one, the form.
It can happen that old concepts with strange names like hylomorphism
seem to be outdated. Translated in modern language, however, one finds an
unexpected actuality. The form, the principle of life, can be considered as in-
formation implemented in a suitable matter, or in computer terms as soft-
ware implemented in a certain hardware. There is no standalone software. It
has always to be implemented in a piece of hardware. For example, a docu-
ment has to be on a cd, dvd, memory stick or any other hardware medium.
On the other hand, hardware always has a certain form, a random bit pattern
5. life and quantum biology 73
or only 0’s or only 1’s. Only combinations of hard- and software occur in the
real world, and similarly real objects in our visible world consist of informed
matter and never just of standalone matter or standalone forms.
Coming back to living organism one find in the definition above a second es-
sential aspect
: living matter exhibits an activity on its own, unexpected when
observing an environment that remains at rest. The dog, for example, that is
jumping towards the children needs no moving parts in the garden where he
was watching. In order to enable this activity there is something new in living
matter. It appears as an organism, i.e. a structure containing parts with dif-
ferent functions, ‘organs’. To make this possible one needs in the first place
a new level of information. The form or information is not only the reason
that the living being is as it is, but is also responsible for its characteristic func-
tional behavior and development in time. The latter includes among others
growth and restorations after injuries as well as reproduction. In the philo-
sophical analysis based on the A-T approach with only pre-scientific experi-
ence one obtains the following fundamental results
: There are three levels of
life
: plants, animals and human beings all with certain characteristics. In the
higher levels the lower levels are present. When considering human beings,
one finds processes (movements in philosophical terms), which are complete-
ly vegetative, for example division of cells during growth. That does not mean
that human beings have a set of several forms
: vegetative, animal and human.
Instead, they have only one single form that includes all levels including the
inorganic aspects.
One should also recall that being and form are concepts with a relative, not
univocal meaning, they are analogous, transcendental terms, as they can be
applied at several levels (Blanchette 2005). Considering a dog, for example, we
see a single well-defined being. One can consider also a single hair of this dog
and one will find no difference between the hair still rooted in the skin or one
just fallen on the ground. Even when the dog is dead the hairs will continue
to grow during the first hours after its death. That means that a dog should
be considered as a unity but when focusing on specific aspects one seems to
deal only with an agglomeration of parts. Applying the paradigm software
and hardware for the traditional terms form and matter, one could say that
the software, i.e. the information implemented in that dog, is built up of hier-
archical building blocks. These building blocks are already used in the lower
levels, like the information needed for cell division, and can be studied sepa-
rately by scientific means, like bio-chemistry, gen-technology etc. It is obvious
that these particular sciences alone will never give a total view of a dog due to
their willingly restricted approach.
Before Aristotle another philosophical system tried to make change intel-
ligible. The Atomists (Leucippus and Democritus) reduced the variety of be-
ings and their change to the geometrical arrangement of identical parts, the
6. 74 alfred driessen
atoms. That view can explain the fact that in all things one finds the same
building blocks, but fails completely to provide intelligibility to the strong
unity in living beings. One could say that the Atomists propose a still rudi-
mentary version of hylomorphism. What later with Aristotle would be meta-
physical principles, matter and form, are still considered as beings on its own
and geometry. The atoms, the material in A-T terms, are already complete
beings and the form is reduced to continuously varying geometrical arrange-
ments. The ideas of the atomists were taken up in the 17th
-19th
centuries and
are often implicitly assumed by reductionists. In their most radical view all
beings, including animals and man, are nothing but agglomerations of atoms
with a certain arrangement.
In the seventeenth century Descartes considered living beings as complex
machines. Regarding man he writes that the bodily movement is not more
or less than the movements of a watch or other automaton (Descartes 1632).
This view, of course, first appears quite shocking, but expresses an important
observation. If one analyses the human body, one will eventually find noth-
ing else than what can be found in the inorganic world. The laws of physics
are valid in engineering as well as in biological systems. This observation, of
course, is not able to explain the full spectrum of biological phenomena but
excludes certain kinds of vitalism (Bechtel and Richardson 1998) that claim the
existence of a non-localized substance responsible for biological functions.
Currently the main stream of biologists assumes, at least implicitly, a light
or strong version of reductionism. Plants, animals and even human beings are
nothing but an arrangement of atoms or molecules in a certain order. When
explaining the occurrence of order they follow Darwin’s line of reasoning
regarding evolution. They state that the changes and the occurrence of or-
der are exclusively based on randomness or chance and subsequent natural
selection. Here a comment could be given on this statement, as it belongs to
the fundamentals of physics and, more precisely, QM that the occurrence of
chance in a particular event cannot be detected by any scientific experiment
(Driessen 2010). The conclusion, therefore, about randomness or alternatively
any indication of willful design cannot be drawn by a pure scientific analysis,
but only by reflection on scientific results within the realm of philosophy and
metaphysics.
In summary one can say that most of the views presented emphasize im-
portant aspects of life. While doing so, however, other aspects become un-
derexposed or sometimes even completely unintelligible. The hylomorphism
of Aristotle, as an intermediate approach between vitalism and strict mate-
rialistic reductionism appears as a good starting point for further analysis of
scientific experience.
7. life and quantum biology 75
3. Need of a system approach in science
In the previous section the high degree of unity in living objects in contrast to
inorganic ones has been stressed. Unity means that one should first consider
the whole or system and only thereafter the parts or components. The whole
is more than just the sum of the parts, a view shared largely in modern physics
(Healey 2009). The question arises about the nature of the whole. Are the fun-
damental laws governing the behavior of the parts still valid when the parts
are integrated in a system
? It seems proven experimentally that atoms or mol-
ecules from, let’s say a dog, react in exactly the same way as can be expected
from standard chemistry. In that sense the reductionist approach is correct
that living matter is governed by the same fundamental laws as lifeless matter.
But how to take into account unity and order or, in philosophical terms, the
form, i.e. the information implemented in living object
? In his landmark ar-
ticle, P.W. Anderson (1972), distinguishes between the road from the complex
system to the parts (reductionism) and the other road from parts to the whole
(constructionism). He writes
:
«
The ability to reduce everything to simple fundamental laws does not imply the
ability to start from those laws and reconstruct the universe
».
He accepts the thesis of the reductionist, but without necessarily excluding
that the whole is subjected to natural laws that appear only at the higher level.
In a few examples taken from his specialism, namely many body physics, he
demonstrates that when increasing scale and complexity a shift from quantita-
tive to qualitative differentiation may occur. That means that the behavior of
the system cannot be understood from an extrapolation of the parts.
It is remarkable that most of the examples of Anderson involve QM. The
question arises why this theory that started about a century ago, is so impor-
tant for our subject. In popular discussions on QM the statistical character
of the predictions is always mentioned and, relatedly, the Heisenberg uncer-
tainty relation. Also the particle-wave dualism with the resulting comple-
mentary descriptions is given special attention. Another equally important
aspect, is less emphasized, namely that in QM there are changes that go be-
yond the geometrical rearrangement of particles. In philosophy one speaks
of qualitative changes, if not only quantitative aspects like size and geomet-
rical arrangement are involved but also quality, i.e. a transformation to a dif-
ferent kind of thing (for a philosophical discussion of qualitative properties
in nature see Selvaggi (1996)). A qualitative change means that the system
or the new thing is something completely different from the starting con-
stituent parts. The occurrence of qualitative changes in QM is explained by
Herwig Schopper, the former director of CERN, in a lecture to a general
audience. He describes the LEP experiment where electrons and positrons
8. (1)
where h is the Planck constant. Consider now that the particle is
composed of two identical parts, for example a H2 molecule that is
composed of two H atoms. Theory tells us that with identical υ one gets
for the de Broglie wavelength: λH = 2 λH2. If the molecule would be the
same as just two H atoms, the wavelength would be λH, only the intensity
of the wave would be different. That means that in theory a hydrogen
molecule is treated as a system, not as a compound of two parts.
What about the experiment? It is known that wave properties, like the
wavelength, can experimentally relatively easily be determined by an
interference set-up. The Young double-slit arrangement is the most
simple arrangement. Particles are emitted by a source at equal speed in
front of the two slits and are detected at the screen behind the slits with a
movable particle detector or a detector array. In a classical approach with
a particle source one would expect after some time two spots at the
screen: a blurred image of the two slits. QM reveals the wave properties
by displaying a fringe pattern on the screen. In the above given example
with hydrogen atoms or hydrogen molecules one gets a periodic local
maximum for the molecules exactly at two sets of positions, one where
the atom pattern has a maximum and, quite surprisingly, another where it
9. 76 a
has a minimum. That means that half of the H2 molecules are detected at
positions where the count-rate for H atoms would be zero. One therefore
may conclude that in the H2 experiment no hydrogen atoms are involved.
The double slit experiment distinguishes between the system (H2) and the
constituent parts (H). Any purely geometrical arrangement of two H
atoms would lead to the same pattern as the single atom.
10. life and quantum biology 77
Hore, 2009). The other is the capacity of fruit flies (Drosophila) to smell by
detecting the vibrational spectrum of odorant molecules (Franco et al. 2011).
The functional behavior in all these three cases provides evidence that QM is
involved, for a detailed discussion see Lambert et al. (2013).
It is appropriate to cite once again Anderson
:
«
The constructionist hypothesis breaks down when confronted with the twin dif-
ficulties of scale and complexity. The behavior of large and complex aggregates of
elementary particles, as it turns out, is not to be understood in terms of a simple
extrapolation of the properties of a few particles. Instead, at each level of complex-
ity entirely new properties appear. […] At each stage entirely new laws, concepts and
generalizations are necessary
». (Anderson 1972).
What is the new what one can find in the higher level system
? Anderson men-
tions new laws and concepts
; the philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd (1936)
speaks of a structure of modal aspects of reality with new law-spheres. In
the A-T tradition one would say that at the higher level a new formal cause is
acting. And the formal cause is related to information. One could say that the
new laws at a higher level, mentioned by Anderson, bring additional informa-
tion to the system. And this is exactly what is needed to enable the enhanced
functional complexity.
A-T philosophy makes use of an important subtlety when dealing with the
reality of objects. Besides being real or not real, they can also potentially or
virtually be real. To give an example, the beautiful designed apartment in the
imagination of an architect is not real, but can perhaps already be seen on the
computer screen in virtual reality. Only after many hours of work of skilled
craftsmen it becomes a reality. Being real or being an object of reality is a se-
rious classification, as it means among others that it is by definition a being
without any internal contradiction. That is why experiments have always the
last word when comparing with theories, models and computer simulations.
The opposite way is not necessarily true, being without internal contradiction
does not imply that the object in question does really exist.
With this introduction one can now examine the properties of the constitu-
ent parts in a whole. Let’s start with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle and
apply it to the hydrogen atom, consisting of a proton and an electron. It states
that the product of the uncertainty in position Δx times the uncertainty in
momentum Δp has a minimum value
Dx Dp ≥ ℎ/(4 p) (2)
where h is the Planck constant. It appears that the radial position of the elec-
tron in the ground state has an uncertainty of about half the radius of the
electron orbit in the Bohr model -for details see standard textbooks on phys-
ics like Cutnell and Johnson (2007). We end up with the surprising result that
11. 78 alfred driessen
the electron is not localized in a fixed radial position, as assumed in the Bohr
model. The laws of QM provide only the probability to find the electron at a
certain distance of the proton.
The situation is even more complex. In the Bohr picture the electron should
circle around the proton with a resulting magnetic moment. This indeed is ex-
perimentally confirmed for the excited state. But a circulating charge should
emitradiationthatwouldslowdownimmediatelythespeedof theelectron.But
incontradictiontoMaxwell’sequationsthishasneverbeenobserved(Bohrwas
aware of this inconsistency). Obviously the electron inside the hydrogen atom
does not behave as a common electron. We therefore have to conclude that it is
not possible to observe theoretically or experimentally the detailed properties
of the electron inside the hydrogen atom. The philosopher could say it is only
virtually or potentially present
; in that case the contradictory properties (in-
deed a rotating charge plus a magnetic moment, but no radiation damping) are
no problem. What is real is the whole or the system, the hydrogen atom with
a certain mass, charge distribution, magnetic moment, etc. With sufficiently
strong causes it is possible to obtain a real electron from a hydrogen atom. But
doing so, the atom will be destroyed, the system has been reduced to its parts.
Heisenberg explicitly connects the probabilistic character of the electronic
state with Aristotelian philosophy. He writes
:
«
One might perhaps call it an objective tendency or possibility, a “potentia” in the
sense of Aristotelian philosophy. In fact, I believe that the language actually used by
physicists when they speak about atomic events produces in their minds similar no-
tions as the concept “potentia.” So the physicists have gradually become accustomed
to considering the electronic orbits, etc., not as reality but rather as a kind of “poten-
tia.”
» (Heisenberg 2007, pp. 154-155).
More generally one can state that once the compound, the whole or the sys-
tem is established, the constituent parts are only virtually present. A com-
parison with mechanics could illustrate this. Consider the parts of a classical
clock. It would be astonishing that a gear, once assembled, would become a
diffuse object, a kind of sponge, and appears as soft as butter. After disassem-
bling, however, it would be again hardened steel in its original shape. QM al-
lows such a weird behavior, i.e. the system may have properties which could
not been expected when considering the constituent parts on its own.
A system intensively studied after the appearance of Anderson’s Science
paper are entangled photons. These are generated, for example, by down
conversion in a nonlinear optical crystal. In Bell-type experiments (Bell 1997)
the polarization states of the individual photons are measured and compared
with theoretical predictions. Any theory assuming that the polarization states
of the individual photons before measurements are fixed but nevertheless un-
known, is in contradiction with experiments. With other words, considering
12. life and quantum biology 79
entangled photons as just a pair of photons with properties single photons
normally exhibit, will not work. It means that physical reality cannot be de-
scribed mathematically by a product of wave functions each related to one of
the parts. Instead certain combinations of wave functions, each one excluding
the other, have to be taken into account to allow an adequate description of
the system, for details see (Healey 2009).
Using A-T terminology for the case of entanglement one could say that two
entangled photons are a system, where the parts – the individual photons – ex-
ist only virtually, but not actually. Only the measuring process, or collapse of
the wave function, converts the whole in two actually existing parts, the two
photons. In that case the superposition state is changed to the product of the
wave functions of the individual parts. Heisenberg states in a similar context
:
«
The probability wave of Bohr, Kramers, Slater […] was a quantitative version of the
old concept of “potentia” in Aristotelian philosophy. It introduced something stand-
ing in the middle between the idea of an event and the actual event, a strange kind
of physical reality just in the middle between possibility and reality
» (Heisenberg
2007).
There are more examples where specific QM states indicate a system that
cannot be explained alone by the properties of its parts. In superconductivity
two electrons (fermions) are coupled to form a Cooper pair, which as bosons
obey a completely different quantum statistics in comparison with the of the
individual electrons. These bosons at sufficient low temperature may undergo
eventually a Bose-Einstein condensation leading to a macroscopic quantum
state, the superconducting state. Superfluidity of helium is another example
of Bose-Einstein condensation already mentioned in Anderson’s article, for
more details see (Amico et al. 2008).
It is not the place to discuss in detail these examples. But one point should
be made
: Even in relatively simple systems in lifeless matter, e.g. two electrons
that form a pair, one observes unexpected QM behavior. For the pairs (and not
the individual electrons) are responsible for a completely new phenomenon,
superconductivity, that could not be predicted from the individual parts (the
electrons). On the other hand, any analysis of the system of two electrons in
terms of the parts (the individual electrons) reveals only the expected behav-
ior as predicted by reductionism, i.e. the normal electrical conductivity.
4. Discussion and concluding remarks
In the preceding section it has been tried to show that QM allows a view on
reality different of the 19th
century view of classical physics. The most re-
markable is, in my opinion, the evidence that there are qualitative changes
in nature. These changes occur where a new form or in other words, new
information is implemented in the system. That means that the systems in
13. 80 alfred driessen
nature cannot be reduced to a more or less complex arrangement of the con-
stituent parts. In A-T terms of the four aspects of causality one could say that
the formal aspects have to be considered. Focusing on the materials aspects,
in this case the properties of the constitutive parts, is not sufficient. The main
reason for this is that the constituent parts are only virtually present in the
whole, as discussed above in the case of the hydrogen atom. Any notion of
a localized electron in the atom leads to a contradiction in theory as well as
in experiment. The same happens in the double slit experiment with light,
atoms or molecules. If one tries to identify experimentally or theoretically
through which of the two slits the object has passed, the interference pattern
disappears. That means that the system of double slits would have been sub-
stantially changed.
Is this such a weird situation
? For the Greek philosophy of Aristotle and
most other people it has been and is also now evident that there are changes
beyond the pure rearrangement of parts. An example taken of the field of art
may illustrate this more clearly. Contemplating the masterpieces of painters
and sculptors of all times one recognizes in the faces of portrayed persons not
only details of form, colors, eyes, mouth, skin and hair but also beauty, passion
and a kind of summary of the personal history of that person. In the origi-
nals, the faces of living persons, an enormous information is stored far beyond
that could be expected from geometrical arrangements of biological tissues.
The arguments up to now are valid for both, living and lifeless matter. What
can be said about the field of biology, the science that deals with life in all its
material appearances
? In the introduction and first section we spoke about
the mystery of life and the clear distinction that both classical philosophy
and common people make between living and non-living objects. It would
be worthwhile to assume that there is an ontological basis for this distinction.
The distinction is not in the parts one obtains after disassembling the whole.
These are in common with those obtained from disassembling lifeless mat-
ter. Instead one should look for a higher-level organization made possible by
a qualitative change connected with increased information. The above men-
tioned experimental results on enhanced light-harvesting, improved aviation
and smelling provide evidence for the correctness of the system approach.
These are specific subsystems studied in biology. If one now consider living
organism from virus to human beings, could it be that what we call life is a
system organized in a kind of macroscopic super-entanglement
? Vedral (2011)
arrives at a similar assumption. He states
:
«
Other experiments scale up this basic idea, so that huge numbers of atoms become
entangled and enter states that classical physics would deem impossible. And if solids
can be entangled even when they are large and warm, it takes only a small leap of
imagination to ask whether the same might be true of a very special kind of large,
warm system
: life
».
14. life and quantum biology 81
In the light of the preceding a few suggestions can be made for biologists
and philosophers. In classical philosophy there is a well-known adage, agere
sequitur esse, which can be considered as a variant of the principle of causality.
Translated literally as action follows being it expresses the idea that if something
happens, then there should be an ontological basis, with other words, effects
arise only from existing causes. This principle lies at the basis of any scientific
work. Bearing this in mind biologists should dare to use phantasy and trust
more in the creativity of nature. With the words of Seth Lloyd one may state
:
biology has a knack for using what works (quoted in Ball, 2011). If one observes
enhanced efficiency in light harvesting of certain biological nanostructures
that goes beyond the capabilities of the constituent parts, then there should
be an ontological basis, i.e. a system responsible for this. The same can be said
for other scientific results. If birds can detect very small magnetic signals in
order to orient themselves during flight or when fruit flies differentiate be-
tween molecules with different vibration levels but otherwise identical chemi-
cal properties then there should be a complex system responsible for this. In
all three cases QM seems to be the only explanation as discussed above. The
classical ball and spring models for molecules cannot account for the extraor-
dinary performance of the system. Instead one has to use a system approach
where the whole is qualitatively different from the aggregation of the con-
stituent parts.
Immediately another question arises about an important point of discus-
sion in evolution. If one encounters evidence for evolutionary paths with es-
sentially zero probability (Meyer 2009), (Lloyd 2002) within the probabilistic
resources of the universe, should one then not look for systems which allow
a much more efficient route to complexity than a blind trial and error ap-
proach
? In the light harvesting experiments one encounters enhanced effi-
ciency of transport of excitons towards the absorption centers due to quan-
tum interference. Ball explains it as follows
:
«
In fact, they (the coherent quantum waves) could simultaneously explore a multi-
tude of possible options, and automatically select the most efficient path to the reac-
tion centre
» (Ball, 2011).
Could it not be that the additional information available in higher level bio-
logical systems allows also a much more efficient route to mutations with im-
proved adaptations to the environment
? In both cases QM could be the means
how nature provides additional information to the system so that steps to a
profitable situation of the system are less random or blind than one would
expect from the statistical properties of the parts. The origin of additional
information would be due to the natural laws governing the higher level sys-
tem. In a certain sense saying that at a certain step qualitative changes occur
15. 82 alfred driessen
is the same as saying that nature is providing new information. In this way a
hierarchy of complexity can be obtained in accordance with experience, see,
e.g. (Mitchell, 2009), and the A-T view on increasingly higher level of formal
causality.
A recommendation could also be made to philosophers. In classical philoso-
phy the available experience at a given culture was used to establish the philo-
sophical system. Would it not be worthwhile to use the immense increase in
knowledge to work on methods for performing a consistency check on the
different philosophical systems
? For example, in a philosophical framework
that ignores qualitative changes QM would be not intelligible. Also Kant ide-
alism has great problems, as is pointed out in a study on relativity and QM by
Mittelstaedt (1975). But in order to do this, an open dialogue between scien-
tists and philosophers is needed as the scientific evidence is often written in a
formal language incomprehensible to outsiders. On the other side one finds
among scientists often only elementary knowledge of philosophy and a cer-
tain unfamiliarity with abstract philosophical reasoning.
There is an additional point to be made. Philosophy has the ambition to
reach truth and attain wisdom that means to provide answers to the deepest
questions humans can ask. What mostly can be seen instead is a very high level
of erudition together with a certain reluctance to make choices and acknowl-
edge truth. In science a theory is abandoned when it is falsified by new in-
sights. It would be a matter of wisdom to put less confidence on philosophical
systems that do not surpass a consistency check not only with common sense
knowledge but also with sophisticated scientific results obtained in science or
mathematics (Driessen, 2005). Hawking makes a challenging statement about
philosophy in his book The Grand Design (Hawking and Mlodinow, 2010)
:
«
Traditionally these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead. Philosophy
has not kept up with modern developments in science, particularly physics
».
The reproach addressed to the philosophers is perhaps exaggerated but lack
of life, i.e. disintegration is surely observable. It is modesty or perhaps a pessi-
mistic view on the capacity of the human ratio that leads to an auto-limitation
to particular aspects of knowledge instead of offering a coherent philosophi-
cal reflection on reality. In order to include the results of modern science in
the philosophical reflection, more interaction between scientist and philoso-
phers is clearly needed. In that interdisciplinary effort, both philosophers and
scientists could profit enormously ending up eventually with an satisfying an-
swer to the question, “What is life
?”.
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life.
Abstract
: The rapidly increasing interest in the quantum properties of living matter stimu-
lates a discussion of the fundamental properties of life as well as quantum mechanics. In
this discussion often concepts are used that originate in philosophy and ask for a philosophi-
cal analysis. In the present work the classic philosophical tradition based on Aristotle and
Aquinas is employed which surprisingly is able to shed light on important aspects. Especially
18. life and quantum biology 85
one could mention the high degree of unity in living objects and the occurrence of thorough
qualitative changes. The latter are outside the scope of classical physics where changes are re-
stricted to geometrical rearrangement of microscopic particles. A challenging approach is used
in the philosophical analysis as the empirical evidence is not taken from everyday life but from
20th century science (quantum mechanics) and recent results in the field of quantum biology.
In the discussion it is argued that quantum entanglement is possibly related to the occurrence
of life. Finally it is recommended that scientists and philosophers should be open for dialogue
that could enrich both. Scientists could redirect their investigation, as paradigm shifts like the
one originating from philosophical evaluation of quantum mechanics give new insight about
the relation between the whole en the parts. Whereas philosophers could use scientific results
as a consistency check for their philosophical framework for understanding reality.
Keywords
: Aristotle, Aquinas, philosophy of life, quantum biology, quantum mechanics.
19. PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITÀ DELLA SANTA CROCE
ACTA
PHILOSOPHICA
Rivista internazionale di filosofia
fascicolo i · volume 24 · anno 2015
PISA · ROMA
FABRIZIO SERRA EDITORE
MMXV
20. Consiglio di redazione
Francesco Russo (Direttore), Marco d’Avenia, Giorgio Faro,
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