Claus Emmeche (born 1956) is a Danish

theoretical biologist Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development a ...

and

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, one of founders of contemporary

biosemiotics Biosemiotics (from the Ancient Greek, Greek βίος ''bios'', "life" and σημειωτικός ''sēmeiōtikos'', "observant of signs") is a field of semiotics (especially Neurosemiotics) and biology that studies the prelinguistic meaning-makin ...

. He is associate professor at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

, and is head of the Center for the Philosophy of Nature and Science Studies at the Faculty of Science (CPNSS, hosted by the

Niels Bohr Institute The Niels Bohr Institute () is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics, and biophysics. Overview The institute was foun ...

). His research interests are in

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Amongst its central questions are the difference between science and non-science, the reliability of scientific theories, ...

, especially philosophy of biology,

theoretical biology Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development ...

(especially

morphogenesis Morphogenesis (from the Greek ''morphê'' shape and ''genesis'' creation, literally "the generation of form") is the biological process that causes a cell, tissue or organism to develop its shape. It is one of three fundamental aspects of deve ...

and

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

, developmental systems,

complex systems A complex system is a system composed of many components that may interact with one another. Examples of complex systems are Earth's global climate, organisms, the human brain, infrastructure such as power grid, transportation or communication s ...

artificial life Artificial life (ALife or A-Life) is a field of study wherein researchers examine systems related to natural life, its processes, and its evolution, through the use of simulations with computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline ...

, and other areas within

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. He has made pioneering studies in the field of semiotics of

friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...

Activism

Claus Emmeche was one of the organizers of a petition directed at

Helge Sander Helge Mølsted Sander (born 27 August 1950) is a Denmark, Danish politician. He is the former Denmark, Danish Minister of Science, Technology and Development (Denmark), Minister of Science, Technology and Development (Ministry of Science, Technolo ...

's education reforms, which the petition claimed undermined

academic freedom Academic freedom is the right of a teacher to instruct and the right of a student to learn in an academic setting unhampered by outside interference. It may also include the right of academics to engage in social and political criticism. Academic ...

by granting a broad majority of the management of universities to people from outside the academic community. As of August, 2008, 35% of Danish academics had signed the petition. By November, this had risen to about 50%.

Notable works

Claus Emmeche has authored or co-authored at least 31 works in science and philosophy in English. Some of his most notable English works include: * ''The Garden in the Machine: The Emerging Science of Artificial Life'', Princeton University Press, () * ''Downward Causation: Minds, Bodies and Matter'' by Peter Bogh Andersen, Claus Emmeche, Niels Ole Finnemann, and Peder Voetmann Christiansen. Princeton University Press, () (1996) * Emmeche, Claus;

Kull, Kalevi Kalevi Kull (born 12 August 1952, Tartu) is a biosemiotics professor at the University of Tartu, Estonia. He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1975. His earlier work dealt with ethology and field ecology. He has studied the mechanisms of ...

; Stjernfelt, Frederik 2002
Reading Hoffmeyer, Rethinking Biology
artu Semiotics Library 3.Tartu: Tartu University Press. * Charbel Niño El-Hani, João Queiroz, Claus Emmeche 2009. ''Genes, information, and semiosis''. artu Semiotics Library 8.Tartu: Tartu University Press. *
Towards a Semiotic Biology: Life is the Action of Signs
', ed. by Claus Emmeche, and

Kalevi Kull Kalevi Kull (born 12 August 1952, Tartu) is a biosemiotics professor at the University of Tartu, Estonia. He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1975. His earlier work dealt with ethology and field ecology. He has studied the mechanisms of ...

. London: Imperial College Press. (2011
See
In Danish, Emmeche has authored or co-authored at least 5 books, 25 articles, and over 47 other works.

References

External links

Claus Emmeche's Home Page
Systems scientists Danish semioticians Philosophers of science Theoretical biologists 21st-century Danish philosophers Living people 1956 births {{semiotician-stub