Principles of Quantitative Living Systems ScienceIn 1978, when the book Living Systems was published, it contained the prediction that the sciences that were concerned with the biological and social sciences would, in the future, be stated as rigorously as the “hard sciences” that study such nonliving phenomena as temperature, distance, and the interaction of chemical elements. Principles of Quantitative Living Systems Science, the first of a planned series of three books, begins an attempt to fulfill that prediction. The view that living things are similar to other parts of the physical world, differing only in their complexity, was explicitly stated in the early years of the twentieth century by the biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy. His ideas could not be published until the end of the war in Europe in the 1940s. Von Bertalanffy was strongly opposed to vitalism, the theory current among biologists at the time that life could only be explained by recourse to a “vital principle” or God. He c- sidered living things to be a part of the natural order, “systems” like atoms and molecules and planetary systems. Systems were described as being made up of a number of interrelated and interdependent parts, but because of the interrelations, the total system became more than the sum of those parts. These ideas led to the development of systems movements, in both Europe and the United States, that included not only biologists but scientists in other fields as well. Systems societies were formed on both continents. |
Contents
Quantification of Behavior | 15 |
Capacity to Direct Energy | 25 |
Chapter 4 | 55 |
Copyright | |
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action potential action potential threshold amount of energy animal's autonomous behaviors available energy axon hillock behav behavioral energy behavioral information behaviors of animals blood body capacity to direct cause cells central nervous system Chapter characteristics chemical energy coelenterata complex concept described determined developed digestive direct energy ener environment environmental energy enzymes EPSPs equation evolution function fundamental measures genetic information geometry glycolysis gravity heart heat energy identified information input internal energy living systems science membrane metabolism methods mineral molecule motoneuron motor unit muscle contraction muscle fibers nerve neural information neurons nonliving systems nonvolitional behaviors observable behaviors oxygen parameters phenomena plant postsynaptic protein pump quantified quantitative living systems quantitative sciences quantum Rana pipiens readily observable relationship respiration respiratory result sartorius sartorius muscle specific statocyst structure and organization substance synapse synthesis temperature thermal tion tissue total energy tRNA ventricle vertebrates volitional behaviors