Physics - Molecular Theory of the Living Cell - page 65

The main purpose of this section is to suggest that the linguistic concepts of
synchronicity and diachronicity can be extended to all of the sciences, both natural
and human, including biology. It is possible that linguistic principles in general are
as important as the principles of physics (and chemistry) in helping us understand
the Universe, including the phenomenon of life and the workings of organisms at
the fundamental levels (Pattee 1969, 2001; Ji 1997a, b, 1999b, 2001, 2002b). So it
seems logical to suggest that there are two kinds of causalities - here called the
“synchronic causality” widely discussed in physics (which dominates the thinking
of most contemporary molecular biologists) and the “diachronic causality” derived
from linguistics and other historical sciences, including sociology. Table 2.17
summarizes the characteristics of these two kinds of causalities.
If the content of the above table is right, we will have access to two (rather than
just one) kind of causalities with which to explain and understand what is going on
around us - including cosmogenesis, the origin of life, biological evolution, the
working of the living cell, and the relation between the mind and the brain
(Amoroso 2010).