Collections, Systems and Mathematical Metaphors
p. 147-159
Résumé
The purpose of this paper is to consider a number of conceptual and linguistic issues associated with the nature and occurrence of collection concepts in the biological sciences. Collections are very common in biology and may be conflated with the idea of a system. The relations between collections (in the linguistic/psychological sense) and systemic metaphors in the biosciences will be examined. Two important systemic constructs that are relevant to both collections and systems are verbs and 'glue'. Examination of certain aspects of these ideas leads to a consideration of potentially valuable insights into the construction of descriptive biosystemic concepts using the source metaphor of category theory.
Index
Texte
Citer cet article
Référence papier
Ray Paton, « Collections, Systems and Mathematical Metaphors », CASYS, 6 | 2000, 147-159.
Référence électronique
Ray Paton, « Collections, Systems and Mathematical Metaphors », CASYS [En ligne], 6 | 2000, mis en ligne le 19 June 2024, consulté le 20 September 2024. URL : http://popups.lib.uliege.be/1373-5411/index.php?id=175
Auteur
Ray Paton
Department of Computer Science, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK