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9780300171525

Paradoxical Life : Meaning, Matter, and the Power of Human Choice

by
  • ISBN13:

    9780300171525

  • ISBN10:

    0300171528

  • Format: Trade Paper
  • Copyright: 2011-06-28
  • Publisher: Yale University Press

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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 Lifeis thus not only a unique account of modern biology. It ultimately serves a radicaland optimisticoutlook for humans and the world we help create.

Author Biography

Andreas Wagner is a professor in the department of biochemistry at the University of Zurich and an external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute. Educated at Yale University and at the University of Vienna, Wagner focuses his research on the evolution and evolvability of biological systems. He lives in Zurich.

Table of Contents

Prefacep. ix
Introduction: Paradox and the Power of Choicep. 1
The Inner Dialogue of Creationp. 6
The Other Side of Selfp. 32
Wholey Parts and Partly Wholesp. 62
Risky Refugesp. 91
Destructive Creationp. 119
Choice in the Fabric of Chance and Necessityp. 133
Purposeful Opennessp. 151
Choice and the Natural Sciencesp. 165
The Limits to Knowledgep. 179
The Power and Burden of Freedomp. 192
Notesp. 205
Indexp. 251
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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