The Mathematical Nature of the Living World: The Power of Integration [Hardcover]

Gilbert Chauvet (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9812388192 | ISBN-13: 978-9812388193 | Publication Date: October 2004

The main objective of this book is to develop a theory of functional biology incorporating the notion of the unity of living organisms. This approach is meant to establish the principles underlying the functioning of living organisms, and to explain how life arose from nonliving matter. The theory is based on a new representation in terms of the novel concept of functional interactions that serve as elementary building blocks to construct the entire edifice, and a new formalism, the S-propagator. Although the heuristic method used calls for highly abstract, mathematical concepts, let the reader have no fear - scarcely any mathematics will appear in what follows. Just as physics uses mathematics to provide a general view of the nonliving world, biology has to rely on mathematical formalism to obtain an integrated vision of living organisms. Furthermore, it is shown how the use of mathematical tools helps to deduce the evolutionary possibilities of a given species from available physiological knowledge. The determination of the characteristics of life in nonliving matter requires that biology be separated from physics, while still recognizing that biological phenomena are based on physical substrates.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Very thorough reference list. -- Choice

This is a good companion to Chauvet's Theoretical Systems in Biology: Hierarchical and Functional Integration ... Very thorough reference list. --Choice

This text, unveiling non-traditional applications of mathematics in life sciences, is written nicely and the exposition is easy to follow because mathematical and physical details are explained in a manner which makes them accessible to a wide audience of biologists, whereas the biological ideas behind the mathematical and physical foundations can be quite well understood by mathematicians and physicists. Developing very interesting, seminal ideas regarding the evolution of the living world and promoting enthusiastically a novel approach to theoretical physiology that exploits quite high levels of mathematical abstraction, the author makes a welcome contribution to the contemporary literature in the field. --Zentralblatt MATH

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9812388192
• ISBN-13: 978-9812388193
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,822,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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