Functional Relations Between Biological Systems
Public Defence of PhD thesis by Louisa Jane Holt.
The parts of biological systems are different from the parts of physical and chemical systems – they are functional. For example, the sun might cause the effect of warming the earth, but we do not say that this is its function. This is just something that the sun does; it is not an explanation of why the sun exists. By contrast, the heart has the function of pumping blood. This is both an explanation of what the heart does and why it exists.
In this dissertation, I explore the functional nature of biological systems by adopting the organisational account of functions. The organisational account claims that biological traits have a function in lieu of the contribution they make to maintain a system they are part of and on which their existence depends. Following this, I explore how the organisational account can accommodate the collaborative relations that arise between biological systems.
Assessment Committee
- Professor Klemens Kappel, chair (University of Copenhagen)
- Senior Researcher Leonardo Bich (University of the Basque Country (EHU/UPV))
- Senior Researcher Maureen O’Malley (University of Sydney)
Moderator of defence
- Associate Professor Morten Ebbe Juul Nielsen (University of Copenhagen)
Copies of the thesis will be available for consultation before the defence at the following three places:
- At the Information Desk of Copenhagen University Library, South Campus
- In Reading Room East of the Royal Library (the Black Diamond)
- At Department of Communication, Karen Blixens Vej 8, 2300 Copenhagen S