Circular definitions

From an early incarnation of the website:

http://www.sysbio.de

What is Systems Biology?

The emerging area of systems biology is a whole-istic approach to understanding biology.

It aims at system-level understanding of biology, and to understand biological systems as a system.

What was that rule we learned in grade school? When you’re defining a word or term, avoid using the word itself in the definition? (Thanks, Mrs. Thomas!)

Published by

russhodge

I am a science writer at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, author of fiction and popular science books, an artist, and a professional musician who performs on the viola da gamba and Medieval and Renaissance stringed instruments. I edit manuscripts of all types and teach the full range of scientific communication skills. I am doing theoretical work in this subject - see for example https://goodsciencewriting.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/ghosts-models-and-meaning-in-science/

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