Welcome to the Genomics Forum blog


Based at The University of Edinburgh, the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum is part of the ESRC Genomics Network and pioneers new ways to promote and communicate social research on the contemporary life sciences.

Saturday 22 October 2011

Thursday 27th October 4pm at the Traverse Bar - some things beginning with M we might talk about.

Just a few things to think about for our next wee chat. First, a TED talk on personalised medicine...the genome as Machine...Medicine...Material...all the Ms...







And here's a nice blog I've found run by biologists in Australia

http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/site

And last a nice chat given in Edinburgh last year on the genome as Memory.








As for the genome as "Molecule"...as Thing in Itself...here's something on evolution and the nature of truth from pragmatist philosopher Richard Rorty which I'm trying to get my head around:

"To see the employment of words as the use of tools to to deal with the environment rather than as an attempt to represent the intrinsic nature of that environment is to repudiate the question of whether human minds are in touch with reality. No organism is ever more or less in touch with reality...to rid our thinking of the vestiges of Cartesianism, to become fully Darwinian in our thinking, we need to stop thinking of words as representations and to start thinking of them as nodes in the causal network which binds the organism together with its environment"

My contention on Thursday, ladies and gentlemen, is that what he means is that everyone needs to start thinking like playwrights. Language as ACTION!!!!

See you then.

Peter Arnott is Resident Playwright at the ESRC Genomics Forum April 2011 - April 2012. Appointed in partnership with the Traverse Theatre Edinburgh, Peter will be hosting a number of public engagements as he explores ideas and seeks inspiration for a genomics related play.
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