Philosophy

An atom-first perspective on biology should be thrilling to nascent biologists and humbling to accomplished biologists.

It places human discoveries, remarkable as they are, and discoverers, remarkable as we are, within the context of atom-scale complexity and the fundamental limitations of human perception and intuition.

Much of biology developed by dissection and classification, where understanding was advanced by dividing large wholes into smaller, manageable parts. This approach was necessary given the methods available at the time, even if it was not always aligned with a coherent philosophy of nature.

We can no longer claim ignorance of the limitations of this pursuit in the context of biophysical reality (Lotka 1925; Prigogine 1978).

Curiosity lead us to science. But doubt drives science. Doubt of assumptions and inferences embedded in classical biology is the fuel.