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Constitution relations in
biological cells
Ludger Jansen
Institut für Philosophie
Universität Rostock
UNIVERSITÄT ROSTOCK | PHILOSOPHISCHE FAKULTÄT
Applied Ontology
This talk
Ontology of Cells
Theory of Constitution
The Ontology of Cells
The Ontology of Cells
What the dictionary says
„An autonomous self-replicating unit (in principle)
that may constitute an organism (in the case of
multi-cellular organisms) in which individual cells
may be more or less specialised (differentiated) for
particular functions. All living organisms are
composed of one or more cells.“
Art. „cell“, in:
J M Lackie, J A T Dow (eds.),
The Dictionary of Cell Biology,
2nd ed., 1995, p. 54.
What the NCIT says (1)
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Definition: Any small compartment.
Preferred Name: Cell
Other Properties:
Semantic_Type Spatial Concept
What the NCIT says (2)
• Definition: The smallest units of living
structure capable of independent
existence, composed of a membraneenclosed mass of protoplasm and
containing a nucleus or nucleoid.
• NCI-GLOSS Definition: The individual
unit that makes up all of the tissues of the
body. All living things are made up of one
or more cells.
To be discussed
1. Modes of Being
2. Levels of Being
3. Constitution
Modes of Being
• „Seinsarten“ vs. „Aktionsarten“
– Ensemble nouns
– Mass nouns
– Set nouns
– Proper nouns
– Count nouns
– Collective nouns
Masses/Sets
Masses
Sets
Individuals
Individual/Collectives
Collectives
Simon C. Dik, The Theory of Functional Grammar. Part 1: The Structure of the Clause, 2nd rev.
ed., Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter 1997, Kap. 6.3.2 und 7.3.1
Beef
CowSTUFF
Cow
Herd
CowCOLL
HerdGRAIN
Mass
Individual
Collective
Beef
CowSTUFF
Steak
BeefPIECE
Mass
Portion
Modes of Being
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Individuals
Masses
Collectives
Portions of masses
To be discussed
1. Modes of Being
2. Levels of Being
3. Constitution
Living Beings
Living Being
1 living being
1 kind of living being
At least 10 000
different kinds of
macromolecules
106 to 109
individual cells
Source: Mayr 1984, 109.
Levels of Partition
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Organisms
Organs
Cells
Organels
Molecules
Atoms
Elementar particles
Has_part
Has_part
To be discussed
1. Modes of Being
2. Levels of Being
3. Constitution
A cell or an organism?
A cell that constitutes an organism!
What is Constitution?
Examples
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The lump and the statue
Logs and stones and the house
The piece of paper and the 10-Euro-note
The letters and the word
The body and the person
Material Constitution
• x materially constitutes y at t if and only if there are
primary kinds F and G such that at t:
– x has F as its primary kind and y has G as its primary kind.
– x and y are spatially coincident and there is no other thing that
has G as its primary kind and is spatially coincident with x.
– x is in G-favorable circumstances.
– Necessarily, for everything that has F as its primary kind and is
in G-favorable circumstances there is some spatially coincident
entity that has G as its primary kind.
– Possibly, x exists but no spatially coincident entity that has G as
its primary kind.
– If x is of one basic kind of stuff, then y is of the same basic kind
of stuff.
Source: Baker 2007
Identity vs. Constitution
• If spatial, then
necessary spatial
coincidence
• Semi-contingent
spatial coincidence
• Creates levels
• Strong unity relation
• Weak unity relation
• Equivalence relation
• No equiv. relation
– Reflexive
– Symmetric
– Transitive
– Irreflexive
– Asymmetric
– Transitive
Constituted_by
• G is (materially) constituted by F iff
F and G are primary kinds such that for
every y there is some x such that :
– x has F as its primary kind and
– y has G as its primary kind and
– x materially constitutes y.
Examples
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Statue constituted_by Lump
Block_house constiuted_by LogCOLL
10-Euro-note constituted_by PaperPIECE
Word constituted_by LetterCOLL
Person constituted_by Body
Constitutes
• F (materially) constitutes G iff
F and G are primary kinds such that for
every x there is some y such that :
– x has F as its primary kind and
– y has G as its primary kind and
– x materially constitutes y.
Cells are not necessarily parts of living beings!
Pseudo-Examples
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* Lump constitutes Statue
* LogCOLL constitutes Block house
* PaperPIECE constitutes 10-Euro-note
* LetterCOLL constitutes Word
* Body constitutes Person
• Remember the semi-contingent nature
of material constitution!
Grain relations
– Goldatom grain_of GoldatomCOLL
– Cell grain_of CellCOLL
Constitution relations
– Goldstatue constituted_by GoldatomCOLL
– Living being constituted_by CellCOLL
But not
* Goldatom grain_of Goldstatue
* Cell grain_of Living being
• Mereological relations between particulars
– Head #2 part_of Goldstatue #1
– Cell membrane #343 part_of Cell #57
• Mereological relations between universals
– Cell membrane part_of Cell
– For every cell membrane there is some cell
such that the grains of the molecule-collective
that constitutes the cell membrane are also
grains of the molecule-collective that
constitutes the cell.