Introduction
1. Immunology, Self and Nonself
2. The Self-Nonself Theory
3. Critique of the Self-Nonself Theory
4. The Continuity Theory
5. Comparing the Continuity Theory to Other Immunological
Theories
6. What is An Organism? Immunity and the Individuality of the
Organism
Conclusion
Based on the influence of the immune system, it suggests a new response to the question "what is an organism?"
Thomas Pradeu is Senior Researcher at the CNRS & University of Bordeaux (France). From 2008 to 2014, he was Associate Professor in Philosophy of Science at Paris-Sorbonne University. He is also Associated Researcher at IHPST Paris. His research deals mainly with the definition of the organism, the notion of biological individuality, and the concept of "self" as it appears in today's immunology.
"... anyone interested in the fantastic and bewildering world of
biomolecular recognition will be richly rewarded by this book." --
Uziel Awret, Metapsychology
"The topic and the thesis of this book are both of great
philosophical interest and practical significance. Some of the most
important medical questions, most obviously around cancer and the
action of pathogens, are being transformed by contemporary
molecular biology. But these developments cannot be properly
understood without an adequate conception of the immune system the
failure of which is a basic assumption of our interpretation of
these pathologies.
Philosophical discussions of immunology are few and far between;
but if anyone thought this was because the topic was
philosophically uninteresting, this book will change their minds.
The dynamic
conception of the immune system that Pradeu proposes has vital
implications for the meaning of health and illness and even for our
conception of the organism. It should be widely discussed by
philosophers of biology, but also by the biomedical scientists
whose work it addresses."--John Dupre, University of Exeter
"A noteworthy contribution to immunology's abundant theoretical
literature."--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"Thomas Pradeu's The Limits of the Self represents a sophisticated
analysis of how the self can be defined in terms of the immune
system and how this strictly biological view and inform the
philosophical concept...Pradeu's Continuity Theory is arguably the
clearest alternative to Burnet's self/non-self model." --Times
Literary Supplement
"Thomas Pradeu has joined the small cadre of those studying the
philosophical significance of immunology and assumed the task of
rectifying this neglect. In a text that provides an up-to-date
summary of the key features of immunological theory and places
those findings into a philosophical context that has framed
previous debates, he has made a noteworthy contribution to
immunology's abundant theoretical literature, which enjoys a
richness almost unique among
the physiological sciences." --Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"All philosophers of science will find this book an immensely
worthwhile investment of reading and thinking time...There are also
several aspects of the book that are appealing for philosophers of
biology in particular...Pradeu has produced a hybrid book with many
strengths and great coherence." --British Journal for the
Philosophy of Science
"Thomas Pradeu's The Limits of the Self provides a precise account
of biological identity developed from the central concepts of
immunology. Yet the central concepts most relevant to this task
(self and nonself) are themselves deemed inadequate, suffering from
ambiguity and imprecision. Pradeu seeks to remedy this by proposing
a new guiding theory for immunology, the continuity theory. From
this, an account of biological identity is provided in terms
of uniqueness and individuality, ultimately leading to a defense of
the heterogeneous organism as expressing the highest degree of
individuality." --Biology and Philosophy
"Pradeu offers a new perspective of evolutionary individuality with
insights that challenge the current discourse. Overall, I recommend
this book to philosophers of biology and science who are interested
in the notion of individuality, as well as to biologists concerned
with the nature of individual organisms." --Philosophy in Review
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