Paradoxical life : meaning, matter, and the power of human choice / Andreas Wagner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wagner, Andreas, 1967 January 26-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biology--Philosophy.

Biology.

Paradox.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

What can a fingernail tell us about the mysteries of creation? In one sense, a nail is merely a hunk of mute matter, yet in another, it's an information superhighway quite literally at our fingertips. Every moment, streams of molecular signals direct our cells to move, flatten, swell, shrink, divide, or die. Andreas Wagner's ambitious new book explores this hidden web of unimaginably complex interactions in every living being. In the process, he unveils a host of paradoxes underpinning our understanding of modern biology, contradictions he considers gatekeepers at the frontiers of knowledge.Though we tend to think of concepts in such mutually exclusive pairs as mind-matter, self-other, and nature-nurture, Wagner argues that these opposing ideas are not actually separate. Indeed, they are as inextricably connected as the two sides of a coin. Through a tour of modern biological marvels, Wagner illustrates how this paradoxical tension has a profound effect on the way we define the world around us. Paradoxical Life is thus not only a unique account of modern biology. It ultimately serves a radical-and optimistic-outlook for humans and the world we help create.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Inner Dialogue of Creation

Chapter 2. The Other Side of Self

Chapter 3. Wholey Parts and Partly Wholes

Chapter 4. Risky Refuges

Chapter 5. Destructive Creation

Chapter 6. Choice in the Fabric of Chance and Necessity

Chapter 7. Purposeful Openness

Chapter 8. Choice and the Natural Sciences

Chapter 9. The Limits to Knowledge

Chapter 10. The Power and Burden of Freedom

Notes

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-35160-5

9786612351600

0-300-15637-5

OCLC:

586150065