NDLI: Functions, Organization and Etiology: A Reply to Artiga and Martinez

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Functions, Organization and Etiology: A Reply to Artiga and Martinez

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Mossio, Matteo Saborido, Cristian
Copyright Year	2016
Abstract	We reply to Artiga and Martinez’s claim according to which the organizational account of cross-generation functions implies a backward looking interpretation of etiology, just as standard etiological theories of function do. We argue that Artiga and Martinez’s claim stems from a fundamental misunderstanding about the notion of “closure”, on which the organizational account relies. In particular, they incorrectly assume that the system, which is relevant for ascribing cross-generation organizational function, is the lineage. In contrast, we recall that organizational closure refers to a relational description of a network of mutual dependencies, abstracted from time, in which production relations are irrelevant. From an organizational perspective, ascribing a function to an entity means locating it in the abstract system that realizes closure. In particular, the position of each entity within the relational system conveys an etiological explanation of its existence, because of its dependence on the effects exerted by other entities subject to closure. Because of the abstract relational nature of closure, we maintain that the organizational account of functions does not endorse a backward looking interpretation of etiology. As a consequence, it does not fall prey of epiphenomenalism.
Starting Page	263
Ending Page	275
Page Count	13
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00015342
Journal	Acta Biotheoretica
Volume Number	64
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	15728358
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2016-07-25
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Biological functions Organization Closure Etiology Epiphenomenalism Philosophy of Biology Evolutionary Biology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Philosophy Applied Mathematics Medicine Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Environmental Science Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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