Reflections on a Theory of Organisms: Holism in Biology »

Walter M. Elsasser (1904-1991) was Homewood Professor at the Johns Hopkins University. His many books include The Physical Foundations of Biology, Atom and Organism, and Memoirs of a Physicist in the Atomic Age. He was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Reagan in 1987.

Eminent geophysicist Walter M. Elsasser argues that the behavior of living organisms cannot be reduced to physico-chemical causality. Suggesting that molecular biology today is at the same point as Newtonian physics on the eve of the quantum revolution, Elsasser lays the foundation for a theoretical biology that points the way toward a natural philosophy of organic life.

Booknews

A reprinting of Elsasser's book first published in 1987 (Editions ORBIS Publishing, Frelighsburg, Quebec), with two new introductory pieces that place the work in context and detail the author's contributions. It is a treatise on epistemology with the purpose of investigating whether a theory of biological phenomena is possible, and therefore concentrates on the cognitive aspects of life science. No subject index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)