Re: Part V, Robert Rosen's "Autobiographical Reminiscences"

["Tim Gwinn" <***>]

Thanks for posting that series, Judith. :)

It really does provide a great deal of insight into the man and the path of
his professional life. I also now have a little better understanding of how
his two earlier books, Optimality Principles  in Biology and Dynamical
Systems Theory in Biology, came to be, and how they fit into the overall
scheme of the development of his thought. It also demonstrates that
steadfastly following an idea - an Imperative - does not imply that one must
be implacable, ornery, or egocentric.

I like the line "I regarded the field as General (System Theory), not as
(General System) Theory". I wonder if he would have agreed with the
following rather loosely-worded notion, metaphorically based on his remark:
The way to approach answering 'what is life?' is to think in terms of a
general (life theory), rather than a (general life) theory. If so, I find it
an interesting notion to ponder.

Finally, regarding Life Itself: "...the book is as much about System Theory
as it is about Biology...". I had not thought of LI in those terms, but now
I will likely reread it - this time as a Systems Theory book.

Thanks,
Tim

P.S. - Could you post that letter by your father regarding his ideas for a
new book on complexity? Some folks here may not have seen that.