Die Mathematisierung des Lebens

To mathematize the world and thereby explain it: in 1925, the natural scientist and actuary Alfred James Lotka completed his monograph »Elements of Physical Biology«, which interpreted all processes on planet earth energetically and formalised them. The result was a mathematically precise and at the same time holistic world view of interacting dynamic systems that humans should influence rationally. Ariane Tanner deciphers »Elements of Physical Biology« as an interdisciplinary synopsis of its time, denoting it as a key work of the 20th century's narrative of energetic holism. At the same time, she tells the story of Lotka as a largely non-academic researcher and scientific 'interventor' who slipped through conventional reception models.