Early Controversies about the Origin of Life and their Philosophical/Ideological Backgrounds

Ute Deichmann

Jacques Loeb Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.

Email: uted@post.bgu.ac.il

   Crystals, colloids and (macro) molecules, as well as views on the specificity and constancy of organisms, played major roles in the theoretical concepts and experimental approaches related to the origin and generation of life since mid-19th century. Based on the study of two controversies, (i) between Pasteur and Pouchet on the spontaneous generation of life in the late 19th century, and (ii) between Muller and Oparin on the role of specific genetic material, I argue that researchers' philosophical predilections and political convictions have played important roles in the choice of experiments to solve questions about the origin of life and their interpretation. I show that these controversies have been resolved over time by scientific progress (unless it was prevented for ideological reasons) and that they therefore do not reflect the existence of different, equally valid research styles.