This authored monograph introduces a genuinely theoretical approach to biology. Starting point
is the investigation of empirical biological scaling including their variability which is
found in the literature e.g. allometric relationships fractals etc. The book then analyzes
two different aspects of biological time: first a supplementary temporal dimension to
accommodate proper biological rhythms secondly the concepts of protension and retention as a
means of local organization of time in living organisms. Moreover the book investigates the
role of symmetry in biology in view of its ubiquitous importance in physics. In relation with
the notion of extended critical transitions the book proposes that organisms and their
evolution can be characterized by continued symmetry changes which accounts for the
irreducibility of their historicity and variability. The authors also introduce the concept of
anti-entropy as a measure for the potential of variability being equally understood as
alterations in symmetry. By this the book provides a mathematical account of Gould's analysis
of phenotypic complexity with respect to biological evolution. The target audience primarily
comprises researchers interested in new theoretical approaches to biology from physical
biological or philosophical backgrounds but the book may also be beneficial for graduate
students who want to enter this field.
