Biological autonomy

Figure 8.2 also illustrates the relationship between autopoiesis and emergence. In fact, the new properties of the bounded structure - which is life itself - arise only when the components assemble together. Life occurs only at the level of the organized, distributed ensemble. On the other hand, once these particular emergent properties of life are actualized, we have biological autonomy, one system that is capable of specifying its own rules of behavior. 

The notion of imparting its own rules draws an equivalence between biological autonomy and auto referentiality (Varela et al, 1991 Varela, 2000). In turn, auto-referentiality is related to the concept of operational closure. This is a process of circular and reflexive interdependency, whose primary effect is its own production. Operational closure must not be viewed as a lack of contact with the environment -as already stressed, any living system must be seen as an open system. The relation between autopoiesis, autonomy, and self referentiality is treated in the specialized literature, see for example Marks-Tarlow et al. (2001) and Weber (2002). 

The starting point is the interaction between the autopoietic unit and the environment. The living unit is characterized by biological autonomy and at the same time is strictly dependent on the external medium for its survival. There appears to be an apparent contradiction here the living must indeed operate within this contradiction. 

The theory of autopoiesis is based on the observation of the actual behavior of a living cell. As such, it is not an abstract theoretical model for life - there are many of these - but a deductive analysis of life as it is on Earth. It is in a way a picture of the blue-print of cellular life, and it is fascinating to see how many concepts related to the process of life - emergence, homeostasis, biological autonomy, interactions with the environment, cognition, evolutionary drift, etc. - pour forth from this analysis in a coherent way. 

Varela, F. J. (1979). Principles of Biological Autonomy. North Holland/Elsevier. 

I would like to comment on the term optimization used this morning in connection with the evolution of biological systems. This term may convey the idea that molecular evolution has as a goal the optimization of molecules and biopolymers towards some kind of ultimate target of perfection (a term also used in connection with enzyme evolution). However, if you consistently accept molecular darwinism (and you do not have to), molecular evolution is based rather upon conservation of the biological autonomy as a response to environmental or other changes. 

Finally, psychiatric drugs are seen by some as an assault on free will and autonomy. Certainly this idea has been brought to our attention by media reports of instances in which psychotropic drugs have been used solely to achieve behavioral control. "Chemical straitjackets" and other forms of biological restraint, such as lo-botomies, have been the subject of popular film and television productions (for example One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest, Frances, and Will There Really Be a Morning ). And clearly these abuses have and do occur. However, appropriately used medical interventions oftentimes work to free people and promote autonomy. 

Chemistry is a substantial science by the measures of industry, economics, and politics. As an academic discipUne, it underlies the vibrant growth of molecular biology, materials science, and medical technology. Although not the youngest of sciences, its frontiers continue to expand in remarkable ways. And although it shares boundaries with every other field of science, it has an autonomy, both methodologically and conceptually this autonomy, however, continues to be unappreciated by most philosophers of science. Why is there no philosophy of chemistry ... 

It has been known that excessive iodine intake results in goiter, hypothyroidism, or hyperthyroidism in humans (Institute of Medicine, 2001). The biological basis for iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (IIH) appears most often to be mutational events in thyroid cells that lead to autonomy of function. When the mass of cells with such an event becomes sufficient, and the iodine supply is increased, the subject may become thyrotoxic. These changes may occur in localized foci within the gland or... 

Bionic Manufacturing System The Bionic Manufacturing System transfers biological concepts into a manufacturing system. The autonomy and spontaneity are the dominant characteristics. Each entity is considered to be a cell, which is differentiated by a function each cell is able to perform multiple operations and could be combined with different cells (Tharumarajah et al. 1996). 

I find these remarks pretty puzzling. Note that the only kind of reduction that will serve to eliminate causal competition is one that leaves no ontological residue. No interlevel or interorder relation that preserves the numerical distinctness of the properties involved will do any good. But what that means is that the needed kind of reduction cannot preserve the autonomy of the properties it reduces ergo, it cannot preserve the autonomy of biological or geological properties. 

Biologically, however, the state of neoplasia is recognized by autonomy from the trophic effects of gastrin. A lesion that fails to regress once gastrin levels have been normalized is therefore regarded as a carcinoid tumor. 

---