Document: Modelling Autopoiesis: Harder Than It May Seem!

We might say that science in the modern sense was born when Galileo Galilei turned his first crude telescope on the night sky and discovered, among many other wonders, the moons of Jupiter. In one stroke a vast host of previous ideas about the universe (and our own place within it) became untenable. Or at least, so it seemed to Galileo. Unfortunately, there was one small problem: it also appeared that Galileo was the only one who could actually see his starry messenger...

So, it is perhaps better to say that modern science, or the scientific ``method'' really arose, not when Galileo observed the sky, not even when he published his results, but when he willingly--enthusiastically, even--accepted the challenge of independent testing . He accepted, in particular, that no one else should accept his claims at face value, or by virtue of some authority; but rather, that they should try for themselves. And when these independent tests initially failed, he made available more detailed information on his instruments, and even the instruments themselves. This allowed other influential individuals to discover for themselves that Galileo's wild claims had some basis in fact; and in time, it permitted improved design and understanding of telescopes, and of the critical conditions necessary to the various observational phenomena which Galileo had described.

To this day, openness to independent, critical, testing is a hallmark of what we call science. But even as this core principle has remained unchanged, scientific practise has had to continually debate and refine its interpretation, in the face of new technological apparatus, new theoretical understanding, and even--occasionally--the opening up of whole new domains of science. This article describes one recent installment in the debate. It's a real story of real scientists, and real science (in all its messy human imperfection)--somewhat in contrast to the sanitised and platonic science which scientists sometimes prefer to advertise. But it has a happy ending, at least, and maybe even a good old-fashioned moral...

2 ALife: Hype or Science?

Modelling Autopoiesis: Harder Than It May Seem!

Document: Modelling Autopoiesis: Harder Than It May Seem!

mcmullin@eeng.dcu.ie

1 Prologue: The Scientific Enterprise

1 Prologue:
The Scientific Enterprise