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Where Do You Get Your Protein? Or: Biochemical Realization

Tahko, Tuomas E. (2018) Where Do You Get Your Protein? Or: Biochemical Realization. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. ISSN 1464-3537

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Abstract

Biochemical kinds such as proteins pose interesting problems for philosophers of science, as they can be studied from the points of view of both biology and chemistry. The relationship between the biological functions of biochemical kinds and the microstructures that they are related to is the key question. This leads us to a more general discussion about ontological reductionism, microstructuralism, and multiple realization at the biology–chemistry interface. On the face of it, biochemical kinds seem to pose a challenge for ontological reductionism and hence motivate a dual theory of chemical and biological kinds, a type of pluralism about natural kinds. But it will be argued that the challenge, which is based on multiple realization, can be addressed. The upshot is that there are reasonable prospects for ontological reductionism about biochemical kinds, which corroborates natural kind monism.


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Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Tahko, Tuomas E.tuomas.tahko@bristol.ac.uk0000-0002-6378-1786
Keywords: natural kinds, multiple realization, reduction, emergence, proteins, chemical kinds, biological kinds, microstructure
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology
Specific Sciences > Chemistry
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Depositing User: Prof Tuomas Tahko
Date Deposited: 22 Sep 2018 23:08
Last Modified: 22 Sep 2018 23:08
Item ID: 15046
Journal or Publication Title: British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Official URL: https://academic.oup.com/bjps/advance-article/doi/...
DOI or Unique Handle: doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axy044
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology
Specific Sciences > Chemistry
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Date: 2 August 2018
ISSN: 1464-3537
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15046

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