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Philosophical perspectives on synthetic biology.

Studies in history and philosophy of biological and biomedical sciences·2013
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Synthetic biology between technoscience and thing knowledge.

Axel Gelfert1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, National University of Singapore, 3 Arts Link, 117570 Singapore, Singapore. axel@gelfert.net

Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
|April 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synthetic biology challenges traditional biology by creating engineered systems. This research proposes viewing synthetic-biological artifacts as

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Synthetic Biology
  • Epistemology of Technoscience

Background:

  • Traditional biology focuses on evolvability and heterogeneity.
  • Synthetic biology aims for homogeneous, engineered, modular biological systems.
  • This shift poses epistemological challenges for understanding biological knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze synthetic-biological artifacts from the perspective of technoscience epistemology.
  • To propose a novel framework for understanding the knowledge embodied in synthetic biological systems.
  • To address the challenge synthetic biology poses to traditional biological accounts.

Main Methods:

  • Epistemological analysis of synthetic-biological artifacts.
  • Application of the concept of 'thing knowledge' to synthetic biology.
  • Examination of synthetic-biological artifacts as research objects.

Main Results:

  • Synthetic-biological artifacts are not merely applications of theory or sources of evidence.
  • These artifacts function as partly autonomous research objects.
  • They embody knowledge about the natural world accessible through experimental interrogation.

Conclusions:

  • Synthetic-biological artifacts represent a distinct category of knowledge-bearing entities.
  • Understanding these artifacts requires a framework that acknowledges their unique epistemological status.
  • Continuous experimental interrogation is key to unlocking the knowledge within synthetic biology.