Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
directly from generation to generation without a material storage
mechanism as is the case with the genetic information encoded in
the DNA.
The last principle is 'operative symbolism'. Elsasser does not
deny genetic heredity, but it must be completed by holistic mem-
ory. Without going into detail, this operative symbolism is said to
control the relationships between the two types of heredity, genetic
and holistic.
Thus, like Driesch, Elsasser managed to establish irrational
principles which transcend the normal context of scientific logic and
approach. In both cases, the explanations attribute powers to
living organisms which exceed the laws of physics and chemistry.
Driesch's entelechy along with Elsasser's four principles are con-
cepts which go no further than a simple linguistic, virtually magic,
formula: they have no real content and are consequently incapable
of explaining in concrete terms how biological systems are organ-
ised. However, it must be recognised that Elsasser's ideas are based
on pertinent elements of analysis which still have a firm hold in cur-
rent debates. Like the plasticity and robustness brought to the fore
by Driesch, the enormous number of possible molecular combinations
in living systems that Elsasser emphasises is an effective property
generated by proteins. We have to include it in our explanations,
while providing a rational answer to the problem it raises. The mis-
taken wanderings of Driesch and Elsasser reveal how important it is
to respond to this problem in order to avoid the irrational excesses
of holism.
5.3.3
Self-organisation according to Prigogine
There are a great many self-organisation theories, and in what
follows in this chapter, we shall illustrate the main variations which
are based on physics, cybernetics and biology.
The physicist Ilya Prigogine (1917-2003) was very influential in
this area. He studied so-called open systems that receive energy or
matter from their environment. When these systems are subjected
to fluctuations, instead of returning to their initial state they may
