Guest Editors: Elena Fimmel (Mannheim University of Applied Sciences) and Andrei Rodin (Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences)
Since the early 1950s, marked by the revolutionary discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, biology has been the most intensively developing natural science. In spite of remarkable progress made during the last century, theoretical foundations of biology still remain in a nascent state, which can be compared to the state of theoretical physics before Newton. A study of foundations of mathematics in the context of theoretical biology referred to in the title of this special issue presents a double challenge and a double opportunity. First, it involves reconsidering and rebuilding the junction between mathematics and natural sciences on its fundamental level. Second, it involves a more specific problem of developing mathematical foundations for theoretical biology. There are strong reasons to believe that this latter task cannot be accomplished separately from the former. We are inviting contributions dealing with all aspects of foundations of mathematics and theoretical biology provided this general theme is understood in its integrity. We are looking for contributions combining an expertise in biology and mathematics with philosophical thinking about theoretical foundations of these disciplines and understanding of their various interactions.
The special issue “Foundations of Mathematics and Theoretical Biology” is designed as an interdisciplinary platform where researchers of various academic fields including biology, mathematics, computer science and philosophy of science will critically discuss cooperation between foundations of mathematics and theoretical biology and develop perspectives and guidelines for future studies.
The special issue is dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Voevodsky (1966-2017) who invested a large portion of his time and energy to renewing foundations of mathematics in view of prospective applications of mathematics in theoretical and applied sciences including biology.