Power Structuralism in Ancient Ontologies Processes and Powers
May 7, 2014
John Dupré, a Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Exeter, challenges the traditional substance ontology by advocating for a process-based view of existence. He explains how biological entities are more dynamic than static, emphasizing the significance of processes over things. The discussion includes fascinating insights into moonlighting proteins, likening their multifunctionality to LEGO structures. Dupré also probes the complex relationships between powers and processes and how context influences these interactions in living systems.
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Things As Stabilized Processes
- Biological entities are best understood as temporal, stabilized parts of nested processes rather than static things.
- Different timescales create apparent 'things' that are actually process-stable patterns embedded in larger dynamics.
Hierarchy Of Biological Processes
- Life comprises hierarchies of processes from metabolism to development to evolution.
- Organisms, species, and genes are best seen as interacting processes stabilized over relevant timescales.
Humans As Multispecies Systems
- Humans are multispecies systems dominated numerically and genetically by symbiotic microbes.
- Most genes in a human body reside in microbes, making organisms metabolically integrated lineage mixtures.