Transcript BodilySystems - Buffalo Ontology Site

VT
Bodies and Bodily Systems
Barry Smith and Igor Papakin
INTEGUMENTARY
(SKIN) SYSTEM
MUSCULOSKELETAL
SYSTEM
CONNECTIVE
SYSTEM
The Connective System
The connective system contains all the bona
fide boundaries in the interior of the body:
the membranes and layers of fat which
create an internal framework of support for
the organs
This system performs active work by
maintaining the internal sub-environments
in the necessary conditions
DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
RESPIRATORY
SYSTEM
URINARY
SYSTEM
IMMUNE
SYSTEM
CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM
CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM
(Principal Organs)
NERVOUS SYSTEM
The autonomic part of the nervous
system
This is the oldest part of the nervous system
from the standpoint of evolution. It regulates the
vegetative functions of the body.
‘Vegetative’ means:
automatic, not dependent on one’s mind.
Example
I decide to run. I can decide to start or stop running
because running is controlled by the somatic
part of the nervous system.
BUT: when I’m running my heart is beating more
quickly because my muscles need more oxygen
for their work
The autonomous part of the nervous system is
responsible for these changes.
You cannot decide to start or stop digesting the
food that is already in your stomach
Digestion and heart-beat are vegetative
processes
The autonomous part of the nervous system
(regulatory links to other systems)
ENDOCRINE
SYSTEM
The endocrine system
is like a system of the radio transmitters
which are broadcasting to the every cell of
the body.
Their ‘waves’ are hormones.
The medium of transmission is the blood.
The cell have ‘receivers’ –specific
receptors for particular hormones
ENDOCRINE
SYSTEM
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Bodily Systems are Component Parts
of Bodies
digestive
respiratory
skeletal
musculatory circulatory
immune
A system for keeping your tools
safe
A system for keeping your jewels
safe
Bodily Systems interconnect
plus NERVOUS SYSTEM (Regulatory Links)
Thus bodily systems are separated
from each other by fiat boundaries
MUSCULOSKELETAL
SYSTEM
Why one system?
Rather than two:
MUSCLE SYSTEM
SKELETAL SYSTEM
because without
muscle the
skeletal system
would fall apart
and without bone
the muscles
would have
nothing to attach
themselves
Why talk of one nervous system
rather than two?
Is the boundary between the autonomous
and vegetative system porous
(can you train yourself to control vegetative
processes?)
Bodily systems are like arms and
legs
but the fiat boundaries separating
them from their surroundings are
much more complicated
plus NERVOUS SYSTEM (Regulatory Links)
Where to fit bodily systems into an
ontology?
Problems of Medical Ontology
Knowledge Mining
Tacit Knowledge
Doctors don’t know ontology
Aristotle is no help either
System (OED)
I. An organized or connected group of
objects.
II. A set of principles, etc.; a scheme,
method.
System (OED)
I.
An organized or connected group of objects.
1.
A set or assemblage of things connected, associated, or interdependent,
so as to form a complex unity; a whole composed of parts in orderly
arrangement according to some scheme or plan
2.
Physics. A group of bodies moving about one another in space under some
particular dynamical law, as the law of gravitation;
3.
Biol. A set of organs or parts in an animal body of the same or similar
structure, or subserving the same function, as the nervous, muscular,
osseous, etc. systems, the digestive, respiratory, reproductive, etc.
systems; also, each of the primary groups of tissues in the higher plants.
4.
In various scientific and technical uses: A group, set, or aggregate of
things, natural or artificial, forming a connected or complex whole.
System (OED)
4. In various scientific and technical uses: A group, set,
or aggregate of things, natural or artificial, forming a
connected or complex whole.
a. of natural objects or phenomena, as geological formations,
mountains, rivers, winds, forces, etc.; also of lines, points, etc. in
geometry.
b. of artificial objects or appliances arranged or organized for some
special purpose, as pulleys or other pieces of mechanism, columns
or other details of architecture, canals, railway lines, telegraphs, etc.
c. Geol. A major stratigraphic division, composed of a number of
series and corresponding to a period in time; the rocks deposited
during any specific period.
d. The set of the various phases that two or more given metals are
capable of forming at different temperatures and pressures, as alloy
system.
e. Linguistics. A group of terms, units, or categories, in a
paradigmatic relationship to one another.
f. Computers. A group of related programs; spec. = operating system
System (OED)
II. A set of principles, etc.; a scheme, method.
8. The set of correlated principles, ideas, or statements
belonging to some department of knowledge or belief
9. An organized scheme or plan of action, esp. one of a
complex or comprehensive kind; an orderly or regular
method of procedure. Now usually with defining word or
phrase. …
d. Any method devised by a gambler for determining
the placing of his bets.
10. In the abstract (without a or pl.): Orderly arrangement
or method; systematic form or order.
Bodily systems are
SNAP entities
Substances and processes
exist in time in different ways
process
substance
SNAP and SPAN
Substances and processes
Continuants and occurrents
In preparing an inventory of reality
we keep track of these two different
categories of entities in two different ways
Need for different perspectives
Not one ontology, but a multiplicity of
complementary ontologies
Cf. Quantum mechanics: particle vs. wave
ontologies
SNAPshot
ontology
Video (SPAN)
ontology
process
substance
SNAP and SPAN
stocks and flows
commodities and services
product and process
anatomy and physiology
synchrony and diachrony
SNAP and SPAN
SNAP entities
- have continuous existence in time
- preserve their identity through change
- exist in toto if they exist at all
SPAN entities
- have temporal parts
- unfold themselves phase by phase
- exist only in their phases/stages
SPQR… entities
States, powers, qualities, roles …
functions, dispositions, plans, shapes
SPQR… entities are all dependent on
substances
SOME SYSTEMS ARE SPQR
ENTITIES
legal systems
languages (as systems of competences)
religions (as systems of beliefs)
The SPAN Ontology
time
SNAP ontology
many sharp boundaries
SPAN ontology
many smeered boundaries
Fiat boundaries can be drawn in each
(Cf. Ingvar‘s theory of 4-D shapes)
Mesoscopic reality
is divided at its joints into substances:
animals, bones, rocks, potatoes
and into parts of substances:
ARMS
LEGS
and
BODILY SYSTEMS
Processes
Processes merge into one another
Process kinds merge into one another
… few clean joints either between
instances or between types
boundaries are mostly fiat
everything is flux
time
SNAP: Entities existing in toto at a time
MedO Draft 0.0004
Enduring Entity
[Exists in space and time,
has no temporal parts]
Dependent Entity
[±Relational]
Spatial Entity
Occupied
Spatial region of 3
dimensions
occupied by organism
Spatial region of 2
dimensions *
occupied by burn, bruise
SNAP
Unoccupied
Quality
[Sometimes form qualityregions or scales]
Tunnel
Alimentary Canal
Hollow
Nostril
Cavity
Interior of Lung
Requisite
[Have determinable/
determinate structure]
Temperature. height
Optional
Diabetes
State
Being pregnant, being thirsty
Independent Entity
Role, Function, Power, Disposition
[Have realizations, called processes]
To circulate blood, to secrete hormones
Substance
Organism, organ
Fiat part of substance *
Extremity, upper body
Boundary of substance *
Surface of skin or hide
Aggregate of substances *
Family, mother and fetus
Three kinds of SNAP entities
1. Substances
2. SPQR… entities
3. Spatial regions, Contexts, Niches
0.0004
Enduring Entity
[Exists in space and time,
has no temporal parts]
SNAP
Dependent Entity
[±Relational]
Quality
[Sometimes form qualityregions or scales]
Requisite
[Have determinable/
determinate structure]
Temperature. height
State
Being pregnant, being thirsty
Role, Function, Power, Disposition
[Have realizations, called processes]
To circulate blood, to secrete hormones
Functions
The function of the
heart is to pump blood
Optional
Diabetes
Spatial Entity
Occupied
Spatial region of 3
dimensions
occupied by organism
Spatial region of 2
dimensions *
occupied by burn, bruise
Unoccupied
Qu
[Sometimes
regions
Tunnel
Alimentary Canal
Hollow
Nostril
Cavity
Interior of Lung
Requisite
[Have determinable/
determinate structure]
Temperature. height
NAP
Independent Entity
Role, Function, Power, Disposition
[Have realizations, called processes]
To circulate blood, to secrete hormones
SNAP
Substance
Organism, organ
Fiat part of substance *
Extremity, upper body
Fiat part of substance
Extremity (hand, arm)
Bodily System
Boundary of substance *
Surface of skin or hide
Aggregate of substances *
Family, mother and fetus
SPAN: Entities extended in time
Entity extended in time
Processual Entity
[Exists in space and time, unfolds
in time phase by phase]
Portion of Spacetime
Spacetime worm of 3 + T
dimensions
occupied by life of organism
Temporal interval *
projection of organism’s life
onto temporal dimension
SPAN
Process
[±Relational]
Circulation of blood,
secretion of hormones,
course of disease, life
Fiat part of process *
First phase of a clinical trial
Aggregate of processes *
Clinical trial
Temporal boundary of
process *
onset of disease, death
SPAN: Entities extended in time
Entity extende
Portion of Spacetime
Proce
Spacetime worm of 3 + T
dimensions
occupied by life of organism
Temporal interval *
projection of organism’s life
onto temporal dimension
[±Relatio
Circulation o
secretion of h
course of dis
SPAN: Entities extended in time
Entity extended in time
SPAN
Processual Entity
[Exists in space and time, unfolds
in time phase by phase]
Process
[±Relational]
Circulation of blood,
secretion of hormones,
course of disease, life
Fiat part of process *
First phase of a clinical trial
Aggregate of processes *
Clinical trial
Functioning
The heart’s pumping
of blood
Temporal boundary of
process *
onset of disease, death
Granularity
spatial region
substance
parts of substances are always substances
Granularity
spatial region
substance
parts of spatial regions are always spatial regions
Granularity
process
parts of processes are always processes
MORAL
Relations crossing the SNAP/SPAN
border are never part-relations
Relations crossing the SNAP/SPAN border
are never part-relations
substance John
John’s life
physiological
processes
How do you know whether an entity
is SNAP or SPAN?
problem cases
traffic jam
forest fire
anthrax epidemic
hurricane Maria
waves
shadows
forest fire:
an object (complex substance)
Compare: a pack of monkeys jumping from
tree to tree
the Olympic flame:
a process or a thing?
anthrax spores are little monkeys
System (OED)
I. An organized or connected
group of objects.
1. A set or assemblage of things connected,
associated, or interdependent, so as to
form a complex unity; a whole composed
of parts in orderly arrangement according
to some scheme or plan
Roman Ingarden
Material Ontology
Theory of Causality
Theory of Relatively
Isolated Systems
Modularity
Roman Ingarden:
organisms, in order to be able to sustain
themselves effectively as identical through
time, must be at least in some respects
“bounded off from the surrounding world
and partially isolated or, better, shielded
from it.”
Each complex multi-cellular
organism
is a relatively isolated causal system which is
organized in modular fashion in such a way as
to contain within itself numerous further relatively
isolated causal systems on successively lower
levels.
The latter are hierarchically ordered and at the
same time both partially interconnected (they
collaborate in their functioning) and also partially
segregated from each other via coverings or
membranes which protect their interiors from
certain external influences and also allow other
kinds of influences and substances to pass
through them.
MODULARITY:
Bodily Systems
can be viewed at different levels of
granularity
NERVOUS SYSTEM
Relative Isolation
The container formed by the skin or hide
around a bodily system may be
topologically highly complicated
The whole body
“is surrounded by a well-defined enclosure—for
man this is the skin, for the majority of animals—
the hide.”
The skin or hide is itself a complex organ which
is composed of many layers and has many
functions in the life-process, precisely because it
forms the boundary between the body and the
external world. Thus it is a permeable
membrane, which participates in the expulsion
of water and waste-products.
Organisms
order to be able to sustain themselves
effectively as identical through time, must
be at least in some respects “bounded off
from the surrounding world and partially
isolated or shielded from it.”
Each multi-cellular organism
is a system of relatively isolated causal systems organized
in modular fashion in such a way as to contain within
itself further relatively isolated causal systems on
successively lower levels.
The systems within this modular hierarchy are both partially
interconnected (they collaborate in their functioning)
and also partially segregated via coverings or membranes
which protect their interiors from certain external
influences and also allow other kinds of influences and
substances to pass through them
Bodily systems
are not absolutely closed off from each other:
they are partially open and partially shielded.
There are paths between them along which a
certain restricted spectrum of causal influences
and substances may flow.
Each sense organ is a partially open system
which is “attuned to a special selection of
outside processes and at the same time also
shielded in other respects.”
Two kinds of fiat boundaries
Recall:
Bodily
systems
have fiat
boundaries
Endocrine system
unified as a system
of scattered radio
transmitters is
unified:
through transmitted
waves
How are these fiat boundaries
determined?
Mario Bunge, Treatise of Basic Philosophy, vol. 4:
Ontology II: A World of Systems,
"Every science studies systems of some kind,
whether natural (physical, chemical, biological,
or social) or artificial (technical). Moreover most
sciences study nothing but systems“ (p.1).
Ingvar: I agree whole-heartedly. [But in my view:]
systems make up some special species of
the genus pattern … and patterns have fiat
boundaries
Better
systems make up some special species
of the genus pattern
But: systems are patterns = tokens
Token patterns have fiat boundaries
Thus systems have fiat boundaries
Causal Systems
1. A causal system contains things with properties
and corresponding spatial and spatiotemporal
patterns.
2. A causal system contains a lot of propertygrounded relations, but it is not identical with a
set or an aggregate of such relations.
3. A causal system contains a lot of both spatial,
temporal, and causal relations, but it is not
identical with a set or an aggregate of such
relations.
Causal Systems
1. A causal system contains things with properties
and corresponding spatial and spatiotemporal
patterns.
2. A causal system contains
a lot of property-grounded relations, but it is not
identical with a set or an aggregate of such
relations.
3. A causal system contains
a lot of both spatial, temporal, and causal
relations, but it is not identical with a set or an
aggregate of such relations.
Spatial patterns
Spatial properties
Functions:
Spatio-temporal patterns = 4-dimensional
shapes
Property-grounded relations:
e.g. is taller than, grounded in the respective
heights
Causal Systems
1. A causal system contains things with properties
and corresponding spatial and spatiotemporal
patterns.
2. A causal system is held together by
a lot of property-grounded relations, but it is not
identical with a set or an aggregate of such
relations.
3. A causal system is held together by
a lot of both spatial, temporal, and causal
relations, but it is not identical with a set or an
aggregate of such relations.
Causal Systems
4. A causal system contains a specific kind
of causal unity. STILL NEEDS TO BE
DETERMINED
5. The type-identity of a causal system is
independent of its spatiotemporal size.
6. Causal systems can be represented by
mind-dependent patterns.
7. Causal systems are fiat objects.
Ingvar
The kinds of possible causal interactions which
constitute a causal system have to be chosen
from all the possible ones. This means that
every causal system is a fiat system. By fiat we
decide to focus attention only on some kinds of
interactions.
But
conventionality can fuse with mindindependence. The "fiatness" of causal systems,
just like the "fiatness" of spatial patterns, does
not cancel mind-independence.
What gives a bodily system its
unity?
Why do we divide up the bodily systems in
this way rather than in that?
Because each performs some CRITICAL
FUNCTION = if functioning ceases the
organism will die
Sustaining in Existence
John’s
nervous
system
John
functioning of
John’s nervous
system
John’s life
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body (somatic part) and of the vegetative
functions of the internal organs (autonomous part)
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
SNAP
Skin
Skin
Musculo-sceletal
Connective
SPAN
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Separates the internal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
environment
confrontation with gravity from the
Separates
sub-environments
inside the body, maintains
external
medium
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body (somatic part) and of the vegetative
functions of the internal organs (autonomous part)
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
SNAP
Skin
MusculoMusculo-sceletal
skeletal
Connective
SPAN
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Digestive
Maintains the shape of the
body
and its movement
in
Separates sub-environments
inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
confrontation
with
gravity
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body (somatic part) and of the vegetative
functions of the internal organs (autonomous part)
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective Separates
sub-environments
Separates sub-environments
inside the body, maintains
Connective
the internal organs mechanically
inside the body, maintains
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
the
internal
organs
Respiratory
Exchanges
substances (gas
in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges
substances (liquid out)
mechanically
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body (somatic part) and of the vegetative
functions of the internal organs (autonomous part)
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Digestive
Respiratory
Urinary
Exchanges
Exchanges
substances substances
(solid substances in-out,(solid
liquids in)
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
substances in-out, liquids in)
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body (somatic part) and of the vegetative
functions of the internal organs (autonomous part)
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Circulatory
Supplies the all systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body (somatic part) and of the vegetative
functions of the internal organs (autonomous part)
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
Respiratory
Exchanges
(gas
Respiratory
Exchanges substances substances
(gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges
in-out)substances (liquid out)
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Exchanges substances
Supplies
the all
systems of the organism with blood
(liquid
out)
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body (somatic part) and of the vegetative
functions of the internal organs (autonomous part)
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of
Supplies the all systems of the organism with blood
the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’ like regulation of the
movement of the body and of the vegetative functions of
the internal organs
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Nervous
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Immune
Directed, fast, ‘questionExchanges substances (liquid out)
answer’-like regulation of the
Supplies the all systems of the organism with blood
movement of the body
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’ like regulation of the
(somatic
part)
of the
movement
of the body
and ofand
the vegetative
functions of
the internal organs
vegetative
functions of the
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
internal
organs (autonomous
of the organism
part)
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
Urinary
Circulatory
Nervous
Endocrine
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Endocrine
Immune
Broadcasting-type
regulation
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’ like regulation of the
movement
ofmetabolism,
the body and of the vegetative
functions of
of
the
the
the internal organs
growth
and
development
and
Broadcasting-type
regulation
of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
sexual
differentiation of the
of
the organism
organism
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
Nervous
Endocrine
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body and of the vegetative functions of
the internal organs
Immune
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation of the substantial identity of the organism
Reproductive
Reproduction of the organism
Regulation of the substantial
identity of the organism
SNAP
SPAN
Skin
Separates the internal environment from the external
medium
Musculo-skeletal
Maintains the shape of the body and its movement in
confrontation with gravity
Connective
Separates sub-environments inside the body, maintains
the internal organs mechanically
Digestive
Exchanges substances (solid substances in-out, liquids in)
Respiratory
Exchanges substances (gas in-out)
Urinary
Exchanges substances (liquid out)
Circulatory
Supplies all the systems of the organism with blood
Nervous
Directed, fast, ‘question-answer’-like regulation of the
movement of the body and of the vegetative functions of
the internal organs
Endocrine
Broadcasting-type regulation of the metabolism, the
growth and the development and the sexual differentiation
of the organism
Immune
Regulation
of the substantialof
identity
of the organism
Reproductiv
Reproduction
the
eReproductive
organism
Reproduction of the organism
Millikan
“An item X has proper function F only if:
(i) X is a reproduction of some prior item
that, because of the possession of certain
reproduced properties, actually performed F
in the past, and X exists because of this
performance;
or (ii) X is the product of a device that had the
performance of F as a proper function and
normally performs F by way of producing an item
like X.”
Critical Function
An item X performs the critical function
F for organism Y if and only if:
(i) F is the proper function of X and
(ii) the continuing to exist of Y is
dependent on the continued
functioning of F
Definition of Bodily System
X is a bodily system for organism Y if and
only if
(i) X is part of Y
and
(ii) there is a critical function of Y and X
performs this critical function
Or: has the disposition/capacity to
perform this critical function
Evidence
The visual system is not classified in
medical science as a bodily system in its
own right
(It is a module of the nervous system)
because it is non-critical
part of the body’s redundancy
Problems:
Prostheses (Heart pacemakers …)
Are they parts of the body or analogous to
foreign bodies in the interior of the body
Solve this problem by adding condition of
reciprocal dependence
(Pacemaker does not change in light of its
functioning and of the functioning of
associated systems)
Problems:
Kidney dialysis
(is the operation of the kidney a critical
function?)
Cryptobiosis – the condition that some
creatures (e.g. shrimp) surivive in after
drying out and shutting down:
this means that they can survive even
though their bodily systems are not
functioning
Problems:
Reproductive system:
Not critical to the life of the individual
critical to the life of the species
of the population?
Mother and baby share an endocrine system?
Problems
Maximality
Is the endocrine system one system or
seven?
Questions:
If these systems are critical, how could they
evolve?
By splitting from prior systems?
Questions:
Does every system contain at least one
organ?
How is ‘organ’ to be defined?
Are muscles organs?
Are bones organs?
Questions
How many of these systems are present in
all organisms?
In all multi-cellular organisms?
In all vertebrates?
How many of these systems have
analogues in other sorts of systems
(antivirus software in computer systems)
Questions:
In a good parsing of the body into bodily
systems
should all bodily systems be mereologically
disjoint?
should the parsing exhaust the body?
The Monarchic System of Government
The Monarchic System of Government
A river is a body of water
A political system is a body of people
(the body politic)
Millikan’s “proper function”
“The proper function of some mechanism,
trait, or process is what it is supposed to
do, what it has been designed to do, what
it ought to do.”
Functions are SNAP entities
Their functionings (realizations, expressions, ...) are SPAN
entities.
A function f is dependent on its bearer b
b is a SNAP entity
b's continuing to exist (b's life) is a SPAN entity
A function F is critical to its bearer B =df. the continuing to
exist of B is dependent on the functioning of F
The example of the simple sympathetic reflex