Chance and Necessity: An Essay on the Natural Philosophy of Modern Biology"A philosophical statement whose explicit intention is to sweep away as both false and dangerous the 'animist' conception of man that has dominated virtually all Western world views from those of primitive cultures to those of dialectical materialists. Monod bases his argument on the evidence of modern biology, which shows, indisputably, that man is the product of chance genetic mutation. He draws upon what we now know about genetic structure (and on what we can theorize) to suggest an entirely new way of looking at ourselves. He argues that objective scientific knowledge, the only knowledge we can rely on, denies the concepts of destiny or evolutionary purpose that underlie traditional philosophies; and he contends that the persistence of those concepts is responsible for the intensifying schizophrenia of a world that accepts, and lives by, the fruits of science while refusing to face its momentous moral implications"--From publisher description. |
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Page 82
... spontaneous association of subunits in oligomeric proteins shall call " closed crystals " for , contrary to ordinary crystals ( whose geometry conforms to one of the so - called space - groups ) , they cannot grow without acquir- ing ...
... spontaneous association of subunits in oligomeric proteins shall call " closed crystals " for , contrary to ordinary crystals ( whose geometry conforms to one of the so - called space - groups ) , they cannot grow without acquir- ing ...
Page 84
... Spontaneous in the thermodynamic sense , the proc- ess is also kinetically spontaneous : no catalyst is re- quired to activate it - this , of course , because the bonds formed are noncovalent . We have already insisted upon the ...
... Spontaneous in the thermodynamic sense , the proc- ess is also kinetically spontaneous : no catalyst is re- quired to activate it - this , of course , because the bonds formed are noncovalent . We have already insisted upon the ...
Page 85
... spontaneous assembly . This is the case with particles called ribosomes which are the essential components of the mechanism that translates the genetic code , that is , of the protein - syn- thesizing machinery . These particles , whose ...
... spontaneous assembly . This is the case with particles called ribosomes which are the essential components of the mechanism that translates the genetic code , that is , of the protein - syn- thesizing machinery . These particles , whose ...
Contents
OF STRANGE OBJECTS | 3 |
VITALISMS and ANIMISMS | 23 |
MAXWELLS DEMONS | 45 |
Copyright | |
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Chance and Necessity: An Essay on the Natural Philosophy of Modern Biology Jacques Monod No preview available - 1997 |
Common terms and phrases
activity allosteric enzymes allosteric interactions allosteric proteins amino acid analysis analyze animal animist association atoms behavior binding biologists biosphere catalytic cells cellular chance chapter chemical potential cognitive coherence components compounds concept constituted covalent crystal cybernetic defined dialectical dialectical materialism effectors ence energy enzyme epigenetic essential evolution example exclusively existence fact fumaric acid function galactoside genetic code globular hence human idea initial interac invariance isomers ligands living logic machine machinery macroscopic structure malic acid Maxwell's demon mechanism messenger RNA metabolic metabolite microscopic modern Molecular Biology molecules morphogenesis mutation nature noncovalent bonds nucleotides operations organism phenomena physical polypeptide polypeptide fiber precise principle properties proteins protomers quences reaction regulatory replication repressor second law selection sequence shape species spontaneous stability stereospecific stereospecific complex steric strands struc substrate symmetry synthesis teins teleonomic performances theory thermodynamic tion tive translation ture universe zyme СООН