Militello, Guglielmo and Moreno, Alvaro (2018) Structural and organisational for being a machine. [Preprint]
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Structural and Organisational Conditions for Being a Machine (Philsci Archive).pdf Download (182kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Although the analogy between macroscopic machines and biological molecular devices plays an important role in the conceptual framework of both neo-mechanistic accounts and nanotechnology, it has recently been claimed that certain complex molecular devices (consisting of biological or synthetic macromolecular aggregates) cannot be considered machines since they are subject to physicochemical forces that are different from those of macroscopic machines. However, the structural and physicochemical conditions that allow both macroscopic machines and microscopic devices to work and perform new functions, through a combination of elemental functional parts, have not yet been examined. In order to fill this void, this paper has a threefold aim: first, to clarify the structural and organisational conditions of macroscopic machines and microscopic devices; second, to determine whether the machine-like analogy fits nanoscale devices; and third, to assess whether the machine-like analogy is appropriate for describing the behaviour of some biological macromolecules. Finally, the paper gives an account of ‘machine’ which, while acknowledging the physicochemical and organisational differences between man-made machines and biological microscopic devices, nevertheless identifies a common conceptual core that allows us to consider the latter ‘machines’.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Machine-like systems • Macroscopic machines • Molecular machines • Mechanistic explanations • Nanotechnology • Biomolecular machines | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Explanation |
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| Depositing User: | Mr. Guglielmo Militello | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 22 Feb 2019 14:23 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 22 Feb 2019 14:23 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 15758 | |||||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-018-9645-z | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Explanation |
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| Date: | 20 September 2018 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15758 |
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