In Erwin Schrodinger’s famous little book entitled ‘What is Life”, published in
ID: 269014 • Letter: I
Question
In Erwin Schrodinger’s famous little book entitled ‘What is Life”, published in 1944,
Schrodinger looks at the phenomenon of life through the eyes of “a naïve physicist”. He
attempts to address the mystery of living organisms through appeal to physical and
chemical principles. This book has been said to have catalyzed what is now referred to as
the ‘molecular biology revolution’ that gained momentum in the 40’s and currently
dominates the life sciences. While acknowledging decades of productive reductionist
research in the life sciences there are those who argue that a shift to a more organismal
approach is now necessary if we are to truly answer Schrodinger’s question, “what is
life?”. This shift would means considering the organism as a whole without reducing it to
its constituent parts (aka organicism), the opposite of ‘reductionism’. My question to you
is whether you believe that a full explanation of life can be obtained by employing a
purely reductionist methodology? Why or why not?
Explanation / Answer
whether you believe that a full explanation of life can be obtained by employing a purely reductionist methodology? Why or why not?
In order to have a complete explanation of life, it is important to obtain a reductionist approach. This is because, every complicated phenomenon, such as human body or life, could be explained, if it is visualised in the simplest steps and the most basic steps. If the simplest and the most basic mechanisms could be understood, the entire phenomenon of life would be understood. Hence, to understand the most basic components, it is important that a reductionist approach be employed.