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Schrödinger, the Self and the Genes

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Erwin Schrödinger’s World View

Part of the book series: Theory and Decision Library ((TDLA,volume 16))

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Abstract

In 1948 E. Schrödinger, the physicist and internationally renowned Nobel prize winner, surprised the scholarly world with a small book on biology and genetics titled What is Life? In this book Schrödinger deals with the most important scientific breakthrough in modem times and maybe in the history of man: the discovery of the DNA or the genes. He analyses the function and significance of the genome (the genes) which detennines the nature of every living organism from the amoeba to man. In his fascinating last chapter he points to the philosophical consequences of this new genetic knowledge.

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Notes

  1. Schrödinger, Erwin, What is Life?, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1948, p. 76.

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  2. Prigogine, I., Vom Sein zum Werden, Zurich 1982, p. 249.

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  3. Smith, John Maynard, Evolution and the Theory of Games, Cambridge University Press, New York 1982, p. 11–26. Leinfellner, Wemer, “Evolutionary Causality, Theory of Games, and Evolution of Intelligence,” in: Wuketits, M. (ed.) Concepts and Approaches in Evolutionary Epistemology, Reidel, Boston 1984, p.261. Leinfellner, Wemer, “Evolutionäre Erkenntnistheorie und Spieltheorie,” in: Riedl, R., Wuketits M. (eds.), Die Evolutionä Erkenntnistheorie, Parey, Hamburg 1986, pp. 195-210.

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  4. Schrödinger, E., What is Life?, loc. cit., p. 68.

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  5. ibid., pp. 69-75.

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  6. ibid., p. 79.

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  7. ibid., pp. 68-75.

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  8. ibid., p. 74.

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  9. ibid., p. 74.

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  10. ibid., p. 61.

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  11. ibid., p. 77.

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  12. Prigogine, I., Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamies, New York 1962.Prigogine, I., From Being to Becoming, 1982, see note 2.

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  13. Cech, T. R., “Self-Splicing RNA: Autoexcision and Autocyclization of the Ribosomal RNA. Intervening Sequence ofTetrahymena,” in: Cell, vol. 31, no. 1, 1982, pp. 147–157. Cech, T.R. et al., “The Intervening Sequence RNA of Tetrahymena is an Encyme”, in: Science, vol. 231, no. 4737, 1986, pp. 470-475.

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  14. Smith, John Maynard, Evolution and the Theory of Games, Alden Press, Oxford 1982, pp. 13–17. Concepts and Approaches in Evolutionary Epistemology, Reidel, Boston, pp. 233-275, in particular, p. 261, Leinfellner, W.

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  15. Leinfellner, Wemer, “The Change of the Concept of Reduction in Biology and in the Social Sciences”, in: Radnitzky, G. (ed.), Centripetal Forces in the Sciences, Paragom House, New York 1988, pp. 55–79.

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  16. Leinfellner, W. and E., Ontologie, Systemtheorie und Semantik, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1978. Leinfellner, W., “Grundtypen der Ontologie,” in: R. Haller (ed.), Language. Logic and Philosophy, Hölder-Pichler Tempsky, Vienna, pp. 124–131.

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  17. Schrödinger, E., What is Life?, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1948, p. 68.

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  18. ibid., p. 88 ff.

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  19. Leinfellner, W., op. cit. 1984, pp. 237–245.

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  20. Schrödinger, op. cit., p. 89.

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  21. ibid., p. 91.

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  22. ibid., p. 91.

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  23. ibid., p. 86.

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Leinfellner, W. (1992). Schrödinger, the Self and the Genes. In: Götschl, J. (eds) Erwin Schrödinger’s World View. Theory and Decision Library, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2428-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2428-7_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5071-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2428-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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