Abstract
A widespread and influential characterization of synthetic biology emphasizes that synthetic biology is the application of engineering principles to living systems. Furthermore, there is a strong tendency to express the engineering approach to organisms in terms of what seems to be an ontological claim: organisms are machines. In the paper I investigate the ontological and heuristic significance of the machine analogy in synthetic biology. I argue that the use of the machine analogy and the aim of producing rationally designed organisms does not necessarily imply a commitment to mechanical biology. The ideal of applying engineering principles to biology is best understood as expressing recognition of the machine-unlikeness of natural organisms and the limits of human cognition. The paper suggests an interpretation of the identification of organisms with machines in synthetic biology according to which it expresses a strategy for representing, understanding, and constructing living systems that are more machine-like than natural organisms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Pages (from-to) | 413-429 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| ISSN | 0391-9714 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2016 |