Simons, Massimiliano (2021) Synthetic Biology as a Technoscience: The Case of Minimal Genomes and Essential Genes. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 85. pp. 127-136. ISSN 00393681
|
Text
SImons, M. - Synthetic biology (preprint).pdf Download (763kB) | Preview |
Abstract
This article examines how minimal genome research mobilizes philosophical concepts such as minimality and essentiality. Following a historical approach the article aims to uncover what function this terminology plays and which problems are raised by them. Specifically, four historical moments are examined, linked to the work of Harold Morowitz, Mitsuhiro Itaya, Eugene Koonin and Arcady Mushegian, and J. Craig Venter. What this survey shows is a historical shift away from historical questions about life or descriptive questions about specific organisms towards questions that explore biological possibilities: what are possible forms of minimal genomes, regardless of whether they exist(ed) in nature?
Moreover, it highlights a fundamental ambiguity at work in minimal genome research between a universality claim and a standardization claim: does a minimal genome refer to the minimal gene set for any organism whatsoever? Or does it refer rather to a gene set that will provide stable, robust and predictable behaviour, suited for biotechnological applications? Two diagnoses are proposed for this ambiguity: a philosophical diagnosis of how minimal genome research either misunderstands the ontology of biological entities or philosophically misarticulates scientific practice. Secondly, a historical diagnosis that suggests that this ambiguity is part of a broader shift towards technoscience.
| Export/Citation: | EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL |
| Social Networking: |
| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators: |
|
||||||
| Keywords: | Minimal genome ; essential gene; Mycoplasma ; Craig Venter; synthetic biology ; technoscience | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > History of Science Case Studies |
||||||
| Depositing User: | Dr. Massimiliano Simons | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2021 13:43 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2021 13:43 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 19450 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A | ||||||
| Official URL: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/... | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | 10.1016/j.shpsa.2020.09.012 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > History of Science Case Studies |
||||||
| Date: | 2021 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 127-136 | ||||||
| Volume: | 85 | ||||||
| ISSN: | 00393681 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/19450 |
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Altmetric.com
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}