The epoch-making importance of Ervin Bauer's theoretical biology

Abstract

Ervin Bauer was the only biologist who recognized that the best way to develop theoretical biology on an equal footing with theoretical physics was to follow the method that has ensured the great successes of modern theoretical physics: the general method of science. Following this method, he succeeded to find the universal principle of biology. From this principle he managed to derive all the basic equations of biology, that of metabolism, reproduction, growth, responsiveness and successfully explained all the fundamental phenomena of life. In this paper, I introduce Bauer's theoretical biology and discuss whether he understood it within the framework of the modern physical worldview, or in a broader framework. I point out that the theoretical biology of Ervin Bauer is the first to go beyond the physical worldview, to establish a deeper, biological worldview, and thus to represent a major advance in our understanding of the nature of life, with a significance even greater than that of the Copernican turn. Clarifying the difference between the living and the non-living, it is important to consider the difference between machines and living organisms. It is well known that machines are the manifestations of a dual control; globally, their behavior is controlled by their given structure, while locally, their behavior is governed by the physical laws. Based on Bauer's theoretical biology, it is pointed out that living organisms manifest a three-level causality; the ‘additional’, biological level corresponds to the autonomous, time-dependent control of their structures.