Calvert Jane, Fujimura Joan H
ESRC Innogen Centre, Institute for the Study of Science, Technology and Innovation (ISSTI), University of Edinburgh, Old Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh EH1 1LZ, UK.
Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci. 2011 Jun;42(2):155-63. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2010.11.022. Epub 2011 Feb 5.
A high profile context in which physics and biology meet today is in the new field of systems biology. Systems biology is a fascinating subject for sociological investigation because the demands of interdisciplinary collaboration have brought epistemological issues and debates front and centre in discussions amongst systems biologists in conference settings, in publications, and in laboratory coffee rooms. One could argue that systems biologists are conducting their own philosophy of science. This paper explores the epistemic aspirations of the field by drawing on interviews with scientists working in systems biology, attendance at systems biology conferences and workshops, and visits to systems biology laboratories. It examines the discourses of systems biologists, looking at how they position their work in relation to previous types of biological inquiry, particularly molecular biology. For example, they raise the issue of reductionism to distinguish systems biology from molecular biology. This comparison with molecular biology leads to discussions about the goals and aspirations of systems biology, including epistemic commitments to quantification, rigor and predictability. Some systems biologists aspire to make biology more similar to physics and engineering by making living systems calculable, modelable and ultimately predictable-a research programme that is perhaps taken to its most extreme form in systems biology's sister discipline: synthetic biology. Other systems biologists, however, do not think that the standards of the physical sciences are the standards by which we should measure the achievements of systems biology, and doubt whether such standards will ever be applicable to 'dirty, unruly living systems'. This paper explores these epistemic tensions and reflects on their sociological dimensions and their consequences for future work in the life sciences.
当今物理学与生物学交汇的一个备受瞩目的领域是系统生物学。系统生物学是社会学研究的一个引人入胜的课题，因为跨学科合作的需求已将认识论问题和争论带到了系统生物学家在会议场合、出版物以及实验室咖啡室的讨论的前沿和中心位置。有人可能会说，系统生物学家正在践行他们自己的科学哲学。本文通过对从事系统生物学研究的科学家进行访谈、参加系统生物学会议和研讨会以及参观系统生物学实验室，来探讨该领域的认知抱负。它审视了系统生物学家的论述，考察他们如何将自己的工作与以往的生物学研究类型，特别是分子生物学相定位。例如，他们提出还原论问题以区分系统生物学与分子生物学。与分子生物学的这种比较引发了关于系统生物学的目标和抱负的讨论，包括对量化、严谨性和可预测性的认知承诺。一些系统生物学家渴望通过使生命系统可计算、可建模并最终可预测，让生物学更类似于物理学和工程学——这一研究计划在系统生物学的姊妹学科合成生物学中或许被推向了最极端的形式。然而，其他系统生物学家并不认为物理科学的标准就是我们用以衡量系统生物学成就的标准，并且怀疑这样的标准是否会适用于“肮脏、难以驾驭的生命系统”。本文探讨了这些认知张力，并思考它们的社会学层面以及对生命科学未来工作的影响。
