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This authored monograph introduces a genuinely theoretical approach
to biology. Starting point is the investigation of empirical
biological scaling including their variability, which is found in
the literature, e.g. allometric relationships, fractals, etc. The
book then analyzes two different aspects of biological time: first,
a supplementary temporal dimension to accommodate proper biological
rhythms; secondly, the concepts of protension and retention as a
means of local organization of time in living organisms. Moreover,
the book investigates the role of symmetry in biology, in view of
its ubiquitous importance in physics. In relation with the notion
of extended critical transitions, the book proposes that organisms
and their evolution can be characterized by continued symmetry
changes, which accounts for the irreducibility of their historicity
and variability. The authors also introduce the concept of anti-
entropy as a measure for the potential of variability, being
equally understood as alterations in symmetry. By this, the book
provides a mathematical account of Gould's analysis of phenotypic
complexity with respect to biological evolution. The target
audience primarily comprises researchers interested in new
theoretical approaches to biology, from physical, biological or
philosophical backgrounds, but the book may also be beneficial for
graduate students who want to enter this field.
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