This project investigates the interplay of two kinds of scientific activity, modeling and engineering, in the production of biological knowledge. While modeling in all its guises (mathematical, computational, physical) has been subject to much debate in the philosophy of science, the engineering dimension has been largely neglected, probably because it is thought to be only of technological importance. However, there are clear signs that this dimension is becoming more important in biology, as witnessed for instance (but not only) in the recent move towards systems biology and synthetic biology. Our previous research strongly indicates that, to an increasing extent, biological engineering is not only a means of advancing technology or applied science, but also an important epistemic tool that complements and extends both the traditional experimental approaches as well as the standard modeling techniques in important and fruitful ways. At the same time, the use of engineering to advance biological knowledge raises many profound philosophical questions, not the least of which is how this approach is able to deliver reliable knowledge of some real world systems, given their “borrowed” and highly artificial nature. In this project we want to make a contribution towards an epistemology of biological modeling and engineering by engaging both in philosophical analysis and the close observation of scientific practice.

Swiss National Science Foundation

• Praxis und Methoden der Forschung
• Theorien, Modelle und Gesetze der Biologie
• Funktionsbegriff und Teleologie