Genomics, "Discovery Science," Systems Biology, and Causal Explanation: What Really Works?

Abstract:

:Diverse and non-coherent sets of epistemological principles currently inform research in the general area of functional genomics. Here, from the personal point of view of a scientist with over half a century of immersion in hypothesis driven scientific discovery, I compare and deconstruct the ideological bases of prominent recent alternatives, such as "discovery science," some productions of the ENCODE project, and aspects of large data set systems biology. The outputs of these types of scientific enterprise qualitatively reflect their radical definitions of scientific knowledge, and of its logical requirements. Their properties emerge in high relief when contrasted (as an example) to a recent, system-wide, predictive analysis of a developmental regulatory apparatus that was instead based directly on hypothesis-driven experimental tests of mechanism.

journal_name

Perspect Biol Med

authors

Davidson EH

doi

10.1353/pbm.2015.0025

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2015-04-01 00:00:00

pages

165-81

issue

2

eissn

0031-5982

issn

1529-8795

pii

S1529879515200038

journal_volume

58

pub_type

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