Interdependence
Biology and Beyond
by Kriti Sharma
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Pub Date Jun 01 2015 | Archive Date May 31 2015
Description
In Interdependence, biologist Kriti Sharma offers a compelling alternative to the popular view that interdependence simply means independent things interacting. Sharma systematically shows how interdependence entails the mutual constitution of one thing by another-how all things come into being only in a system of dependence on others.
In a step-by-step account filled with vivid examples, Sharma shows how a coherent view of interdependence can help make sense not only of a range of everyday experiences but also of the most basic functions of living cells. With particular attention to the fundamental biological problem of how cells pick up signals from their surroundings, Sharma shows that only an account which replaces the perspective of "individual cells interacting with external environments" with one centered in interdependent, recursive systems can adequately account for how life works.
This book will be of interest to biologists and philosophers, to theorists of science, of systems, and of cybernetics, and to anyone curious about how life works. Clear, concise, and insightful, Interdependence: Biology and Beyond explicitly offers a coherent and practical philosophy of interdependence and will help shape what interdependence comes to mean in the twenty-first century.
Advance Praise
“In
setting forth her vision of contingentism—that objects are really webs of
processes contingent on multiple interacting conditions—Sharma moves eloquently
back and forth between biology and philosophy. The book is a model of
accessible but serious and elegant science writing.”—Evan Thompson, University
of British Columbia
“Interdependence is an exceptionally original work of comprehensive theorizing.
Conceptually subtle, empirically rigorous, and compellingly argued, it
addresses some of the most fundamental questions in theoretical biology and
demonstrates their close relation to central problems in our ideas of
knowledge, existence, and reality.”—Barbara Herrnstein Smith, author,
Scandalous Knowledge: Science, Truth and the Human
“Kriti Sharma has written a remarkable book that moves seamlessly from the
empirical world of biology—indeed, the microscales of test tubes and cells and
molecules—to the consideration of the broadest philosophical concepts that
define how we comprehend existence itself. The writing is lively and the
illustrations are drawn from a wide and interdisciplinary range of sources and
experiences, yet the development of the ideas is scholarly, careful, and well
documented. Interdependence: Biology and Beyond will elevate and churn your
thinking. It is Sharma’s first book and the reader feels privileged to be
present at the start of an exciting intellectual journey.”—Peter White,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780823265534 |
| PRICE | $24.00 (USD) |
Links
Average rating from 5 members
Featured Reviews
Earl M, Reviewer
In Interdependence Kriti Sharma introduces the idea of interdependence, or contingentism, as opposed to the idea of the interaction between independent entities. This is on the large scale as in ALL things really "exist only in dependence on other things." Before I continue I want to admit that I have read the book twice and have still not managed to wrap my mind around the concept entirely. For this reason I will avoid trying to give any kind of overview of the theory.
This idea is indeed all encompassing which, though the examples are from her field of expertise in the biological sciences, means it can and needs to be applied rigorously to other areas of knowledge. Additionally, this is not a science book but a philosophy book (or at least a philosophical book) which happens to use science as its vehicle of applied thought.
I find far more in this theory to convince than cause doubt, and with more consideration I have come to appreciate it considerably. This should be a good read for anyone in any field who enjoys pondering the hows and whys of life and all it encompasses. Using one's own area of expertise or interest allows an expanding number of possible avenues into the theory since it is meant to be applied broadly. I judged this book not on whether it was a good read (which it was) but rather on whether it contributed to my ways of understanding. For that reason I would suggest reading the book and thinking about it closely before making any judgement. An extra bonus for anyone engaging with the ideas came to me several weeks ago. I found myself unexpectedly away from everything I would normally have been doing. As a result I became an observer of the world around me and began trying to explain to myself how what might appear as an interaction might actually be interdependence. It truly made that time interesting instead of boring and gave me additional ways of viewing and appreciating the world.
Reviewed from an ARC made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
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