Philosophical Analysis Of Biological Taxonomy

The taxonomy as biological science's foundational discipline, the essence is selects the characteristic of organism,and discovers the general character in the comparison and then determination the biology's position in phylogeny system.Its instruction-oriented is that how to reflect the phylogenetic relationship better, how to rebuild the greatest degree reconstruction species evolution developing process better, and then service for the biological science play a fundamental role.Approaching this problem which the domestic taxonomy is faceing, a penetrating eye can see through this article, strengthens the philosophical reflection and provide a new way for taxonomists.The structure of the paper is as follows:The first part first introduce the origin and significance of the papers.The main purpose of the papers is raising by the analysis of the philosophical level about Chen Yiyu's taxonomic issues, who is the director of the National Natural Science Foundation.Through these, it would provide a useful thought for the biologist. This section provide a brief summary about the importance of taxonomy and external difficulties encountered, at the same time to focus on the domestic taxonomists and biological research on the philosophy and will point out the lack of research in this area.The second chapter around an important basis for classification-to discuss evolution and species.In this paper, discussion with the knowledge taxonomy for the evolution of the power, speed and direction as well as the concept and formation of species, and once the basic concept of a greater certainty of the debate, then the development of taxonomy will certainly have a negative impact. Therefore, in the classification process, a good grasp of basic issues and the comprehensive consideration of various factors are particularly important.The third Chapter studies the debate between the reductionism and holism of the biology and the philosophy of biology.Through the research of biology and the analysis of the change from the naturalist tradition to the traditional mathematical, showing the differences of two views between the biologists. The first view:the fundamental method of biology is mathematical methods and can fully be explained by the physics and chemistry and other sciences; the second view:living body has emergent property and integrity, not just a bunch of molecules from the physicists view. Thus forming two camps, one reductionism camps insists reduce the biological science into branch of physical science, the holism camp emphasize independence and emergent property and integrity. From analysis of the controversy, we know that if only remaining "things in themselves", the physical law are effective but has lost its existing meanings. Although physic and biology has something differences in ontology, treat equally in epistemology. Although the extreme reductionism and holism are few, clarify their relationships and resolve their contradictions is necessary.Reductionism has two understanding methods:one for reducing in ontology, and the other for reducing in methodology. In biological research, insisting to use reduce method and avoiding the thoughts of ontology.The fourth chapter backs on the philosophy thoughts of taxonomy. On the basis of introducing the taxonomy and its school, with the reduction process, pointing that taxonomy has reducing characteristics essentially. Classification is to reduce characteristics into species (explained species by characteristics), and on these basis reducing characteristics into phylogenic. If you insist the reduction in the end, it is easy to translate into the reduction of ontology. From the analysis we know that the different classification school has its own methods and insists different level of reduction. And overcoming the tendency of reductionism taxonomy should consider the characteristic of integrity.The fifth Chapter bases around the philosophy basis and the methods of operation of systems biology, indicates bridged the reductionism and holism differences to some extent, taxonomic needs such a research method which achieve both. The paper further analyzes the possibility of combination of taxonomy and systems biology, hoping biological taxonomic open a new road. Also points out that this approach is an inspiration for philosophical reflection and the way forward, needing to verify and improvement in practice. Finally, according to mandate of the current taxonomy, emphasizing the classification of other categories in different areas still play a crucial role.This paper's innovation points are mainly manifested in the respectively in the following three aspects, the third, fourth and fifth chapter of the core content.First,from analysis the traditional theories on evolution of biology lead to analysis the two theories are debating. And I boil the Structural Reductionism,that was given by Mayr, Explanatory Reductionism, Theoretical Reductionism respectively down to two reducism in two sense Methodical Reductionism,Holism Reductionism. We should insist to use Methodlology in the biology study, combine various effective methods and do well in the biology study.Second, I point out that the two steps in classification method, at first use inductive method to find out the similar characteristics,and from similar characteristics to infer the species concept that it's reflect s itself in maximum. The two steps corresponding taxonomy two tasks, namely to give the common features of the same creature and to determime it's position in the development system. Points out the the method has a same fault as Logical positivism that has been criticized by Karl Popper.According to this judgement "reduction of theory is the theory to explain, a theory (T2) returns to original state into another theory (T1), means that T2 can infer from T1", incorporated graph pointed out that classification of organisms is in itself actually infers the concept to state of some species through certain representative characteristic, in the specific categorizing process the species concept stated needs to reduce to the characteristic only then may carry on the operation.Therefore, Taxonomy has the essence of reduction. It also point out that the reduction is not a problem because it only a methodology reduction, we should avoid dropping into the morass of reduction ontological (the reduction of ontological is a Thorough Reductionism), thus affect the using of classification and the development of Categories Subject.The next context point out that Cladistic Classification has more tendency of reduction;Evolutionary systematics is a school that Hybridity of holistic mode of thinking and reductional theory; Phenetics get its theory from Holism, but its nature determined that it difficuclt to avoid reductionist tendencies. Molecular Classification has the same tendency with reduction, so it lack the thought of holistic theory.It is inevitable that the restoration tendentiousness of classification school is determined by it's nature. But for life science research, we must abandon those wrong ideas that the parts can be fully explained by the overall or the whole can completely restore to parts. Taxonomy just can choose partly features as it's character because of the complexity of the living organisms. The current situation is this part of the characters is containing a few of integrity factors. In order to solve this problem, we must find out the method which can combine reduction and integrity which is used for the selection of classification feature.Thirdly, it discuees the functional systems biology of foreign research. It points out that this kind of biology research method abandons the argument between reductionism and holism on the base of philosophy. It treats genomics as technology tools and uses reductive strategies to reflect the function of system. In operational method, it uses initial unit-cell as primary object of study; and adopts computer modeling those "silicon cells strategy" by the top-down or bottom-up way; and it can calculate the interactions and reappear the emergent property between the molecules. It point out a way to taxonomy from the study of systems biology and the request of taxonomic methods. In addition, the author briefly analyzes the shortcomings of this approach.In short, this paper analyzes the changes between species and evolutionary concept, and deeply explores sorting techniques in different classification school especially to the argument between reduction and integrity. On this basis, it points out that reductionism can be divided into ontological and methodological reduction. It is completely feasible that use reducing method and holistic way in the meaning of methodology.The paper gets several conclusions from analyzing. Classification method must use reduction method in the process of classification, and its essence is itself has reducibility. That is using the choosen feature to explain species, with the comparison of features to explain the rebuilding the system to develop relations, which apply this principle in specific classification method. The paper analyzes mainly classification school and points out that different school has different ontological reductive tendency or the whole tendency. It's important that keep balance in the process of using those methods. The paper puts forward ideas that thinking about both holistic method and reducing method in the operation of classification, and combines with the thoughts on the development of the international system biology. The author tries to discuss the combine in two methods and systems biology give taxonomy discusses the enlightenment, and hopes that different taxonomies can be toward the same road.