The philosophy of biology

Key themes

The Nature of Life

This is the central philosophical inquiry of the book. Johnstone challenges the purely mechanistic view of life prevalent in his time, arguing that living organisms possess qualities, particularly consciousness and subjective experience, that cannot be fully explained by physical and chemical laws alone. He seeks to define life in a way that integrates these non-reductive elements.

Consciousness and Perception

Johnstone places significant emphasis on consciousness and perception as fundamental aspects of biological existence. He argues that an organism's subjective experience and its way of perceiving the world are not incidental but are crucial to its interaction with the environment and its very understanding of being alive. This theme directly challenges the objective, detached scientific viewpoint.

Limitations of Mechanistic Explanations / Anti-Reductionism

A core argument of the book is the inadequacy of purely mechanistic or reductionist approaches to fully understand biological phenomena. Johnstone contends that reducing complex biological functions to simple physical or chemical interactions misses the emergent properties and holistic nature of living systems. He advocates for a more integrated approach that acknowledges different levels of organization and explanation.

Worth discussing

To what extent can consciousness and perception be explained by purely physical or chemical processes?