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Limits of the Self: Immunology and Biological Identity

Name: Limits of the Self: Immunology and Biological Identity
Brand: Oxford University Press
SKU: 9780190869571
Price: 63.99 USD
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Contributors:

Thomas Pradeu, Elizabeth Vitanza

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Binding:

Paperback

Book Category:

Medical, Science, Philosophy

Book Subcategory:

Immunology, Philosophy & Social Aspects, Ethics & Moral Philosophy

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The product is eligible for a complimentary return within 30 days from the date of purchase. Furthermore, individual items are shipped within 24 hours of receiving the order.

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Release Date:

2019-01-01

ISBN 13:

9780190869571

Weight:

0.7 lbs

Size:

8.20 x 5.50 x 0.80 inches

Pages:

314

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Description

What counts as an individual in the living world? What does it mean for a living thing to remain the same through time, while constantly changing? These questions are the province of immunology, one of the most dynamic fields in biology. Immunology answers these questions with its theory of "self" and "nonself" which has dominated the field since the 1940s. Thomas Pradeu argues that this theory is inadequate, because immune responses to self constituents and immune tolerance of foreign entities are the rule, not the exception. Instead Pradeu advances an alternative theory, the continuity theory, which offers a new way to answer the question of what triggers an immune response. It also echoes the recent realization that all organisms, and not only higher vertebrates, have an immune system.

Pradeu's main thesis is that the self-nonself theory should be abandoned, but that immunology still proves to be decisive for delineating the boundaries of the organism. Articulating an evolutionary and an immunological perspective, he offers an original conception of the organism. Tolerance of the fetus by the mother and of countless bacteria on the body's surfaces proves that every organism is heterogeneous, that is, made of entities of different origins. In other words, every organism appears as a chimera, a mixed living thing-the cohesiveness of which is ensured by the constant action of its immune system.

The Limits of the Self, will be essential reading for anyone interested in the definition of biological individuality and the understanding of the immune system.

About the Author
Thomas Pradeu is Senior Researcher at the CNRS & University of Bordeaux (France). From 2008 to 2014, he was Associate Professor in Philosophy of Science at Paris-Sorbonne University. He is also Associated Researcher at IHPST Paris. His research deals mainly with the definition of the organism, the notion of biological individuality, and the concept of "self" as it appears in today's immunology.

Limits of the Self: Immunology and Biological Identity

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