Humanistic + Mechanistic = Organicistic? c/o Vernon

"Holistic Biology ... 

Philosophy Now #122

In recent years biology has been moving beyond a biochemically reductive view of life. The days when we could regard ourselves as lumbering robots for our genes, to recall Richard Dawkins’ resonate phrase, are numbered, if not already over. Life for the biologist has become a lot more complex, and arguably, in its intricacy, more beautiful. ... 

I recently attended a conference on what is sometimes called ‘holistic biology’ or the ‘extended evolutionary synthesis’. ... 

These developments have led the philosopher Michael Ruse to pose a fundamental question. In biology, there has long been two ways of looking at life: as a mechanism, which can be broken down into parts; and as an organism, which can be explained only by considering the way the whole system works. Organicism is the more ancient approach, while the machine metaphor has come to dominate in modern times. Ruse suggests that perhaps it’s time for organicism to make a comeback. 

Its origins reach all the way back to Plato." p.7.

The links here provide access to one of four complimentary articles for non-subscribers.

Vernon, M. Rediscovering Plato's Vision. Philosophy Now. Issue 122. Oct/Nov 2017. pp.6-8.

Mark Vernon is the author of The Idler Guide to Ancient Philosophy (Idler Books, 2015).
For more, see www.markvernon.com.