Abstract
To ask a biologist to contribute to a discussion on a physicist is a bold step. Don’t we ron the risk of hopelessly confusing the issue? We can only hope that the topic at hand has remained unclarified precisely because too few biologists and physicists have talked to one another. Be that as it may: culture can be understood as a dialogue between disciplines. And this is what I wish to focus on. With all due modesty, I will base my talk on the interpretation of a footnote Schrödinger added to one of his later works.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aubauer, H. P. (ed.), Umweltmanifest. Unter Mitwirkung des Forums Österreichischer Wissenschaftler für Umweltschutz, Falter, Wien 1987.
Brillouin, L., Science and Information Theory, Academic Press, New York 1956.
Dancoff, S. and H. QuastIer, “The Information Content and Error Rate of Living Things,” in: QuastIer, H. (ed.): Information Theory in Biology, Univ. Illinois Press, Urbana 1953, pp. 263–273.
Georgescu-Roegen, N., The Entropy Law and the Economic Process, Harvard University Press, Cambridge Mass 1971.
Georgescu-Roegen, N., Energy and Economic Myths, Pergamon Press, Elmsford-New York 1977.
Kerber, G., A. Dick and W. Kerber, Dokumente, Materialien und Bilder zur 100.wiederkehr des Geburtstages von Erwin Schrödinger, Fassbaender, Wien 1987.
Linschitz, H., ”The Information Content of a Bacterial Cell,” in: Quastler, H., R. Augenstein, et al. (eds.), Essays on the Use of Information Theory in Biology, Univ. Illinois Press, Urbana 1953, pp. 251–262.
Lorenz, K., Die Rückseite des Spiegels. Versuch einer Naturgeschichte menschlichen Erkennens, Piper, München-Zurich 1973. English: Behind the Mirror. Methuen and Co., Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich. London 1987.
Lorenz, K., Die acht Todsünden der zivilisierten Menschheit, Piper, München-Zurich 1973. English: Civilized man’s eight deadly sins. Harcourt, Brache and Jovanovich, London 1974.
Lorenz, K., Der Abbau des Menschlichen, Piper, München-Zurich 1983. English: The waning of humanness. Little, Brown and Co., Boston 1987.
Morowitz, H., “Some Disorder-Order Considerations in Living Systems,” Bull. Math. Biophys. 17,1955, pp. 81–87.
Morowitz, H., Entropy for Biologists, Acad. Press, New York 1970.
Quastler, H.(ed.),Injormation Theory in Biology, Univ. Illinois Press, Urbana 1953.
Quastler, H., The emergence of biological organization, Yale Univ. Press, New Haven-London 1964.
Riedl, R., Die Biosphäre und die heutige Erfolgsgesellschaft, Universitas 28(6), 1973, pp. 587–593.
Riedl, R.: Energie, Information und Negentropie in der Biosphäre. Naturwiss. Rundschau 26(10), 1973a, pp. 413–420.
Riedl, R.: Die Ordnung des Lebendigen. Systembedingungen der Evolution, Parey, Hamburg-Berlin 1975. English: Order in Living Organisms. A Systems Analysis of Evolution., John Wiley & Sons, Chichester 1978.
Riedl, R.: Die Strategie der Genesis. Naturgeschichte der realen Welt, Piper, München-Zürich 1976.
Riedl, R.: Biologie der Erkenntnis. Die stammesgeschichtlichen Grundlagen der Vernunft, Parey, Hamburg-Berlin 1980. English: The Biology of Knowledge. The evolutionary Basis of Reason, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester 1984.
Riedl, R.: Die Spaltung des Weltbildes. Biologische Grundlagen des Erklärens und Verstehens, Parey, Hamburg-Berlin 1985.
Riedl, R.: Begriff und Welt. Biologische Grundlagen des Erkennens und Begreifens, Parey, Hamburg-Berlin 1987.
Riedl, R. and F. M. Wuketits (Eds.): Die Evolutionäre Erkenntnistheorie. Bedingungen-LösungenKontroversen, Parey, Hamburg-Berlin 1987.
Riedl, R.: Der Wiederaufbau des Menschlichen. Wir brauchen Verträge zwischen Natur und Gesellschaft, Piper, München-Zürich 1988.
Rifkin, J.,: Entropy: A New World View. The Viking Press 1980. German: Entropie. Ein neues Weltbild, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 1982.
Schrödinger, E.: What is Life? & Mind and Matter, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge 1943.
Shannon, C. and W. Weaver: The mathematical theory of communication, Univ. Illinois Press, Urbana 1949.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Riedl, R. (1992). Schrödinger’s Negentropy Concept and Biology. 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_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2428-7_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5071-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2428-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive