Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
Biomolecules. 2023 Oct 12;13(10):1511. doi: 10.3390/biom13101511.
The disciplinary identity of molecular biology has frequently been called into question. Although the debates might sometimes have been more about creating or debunking myths, defending intellectual territory and the distribution of resources, there are interesting underlying questions about this area of biology and how it is conceptually organized. By looking at the history of molecular biology, its origins and development, I examine the possible criteria for its status as a scientific discipline. Doing so allows us to answer the title question in such a way that offers a reasonable middle ground, where molecular biology can be properly viewed as a viable interdisciplinary program that can very well be called a discipline in its own right, even if no strict boundaries can be established. In addition to this historical analysis, a couple of systematic issues from a philosophy of science perspective allow for some assessment of the current situation and the future of molecular biology.
分子生物学的学科身份经常受到质疑。尽管这些争论有时可能更多的是关于创造或揭穿神话，捍卫知识领域和资源分配，但关于生物学的这一领域以及它在概念上是如何组织的，存在着有趣的潜在问题。通过考察分子生物学的历史、它的起源和发展，我研究了将其视为科学学科的可能标准。这样做使我们能够以一种提供合理中间立场的方式回答标题问题，在这种立场中，分子生物学可以被恰当地视为一个可行的跨学科计划，即使不能确定严格的界限，它本身也可以被称为一个学科。除了这种历史分析之外，从科学哲学的角度来看待几个系统问题，可以对分子生物学的现状和未来进行一些评估。
