Towards an Account of Individuality: The Case of Microbial Consortia
1 : University of Calgary
We explore the notion of individuality using recent work in microbiology concerning microbial consortia. Such consortia seem at first glance to form integrated individuals. They maintain integrity with impressive fidelity across generations. However, they put a strain on accounts of biological individuality. We suggest that the nature of microbial consortia should cause us to revaluate the notions of replicator and interactor, notions that serve as the basis for prominent accounts of biological individuality. We argue for a more inclusive account of individuality that focuses on individuals being interactors. More precisely, we suggest that what distinguishes individuals from aggregates is that individuals produce outcomes that are due to causal interaction among their parts rather than the aggregated causal contribution of those parts. To give this account precision we employ Reichenbach's notion of screening-off and his notion of mark transmission. Though we argue for this account's application in biology, we believe it can be fruitfully applied outside of biology.
