From Cells to the Cosmos: An Integrative Approach to Ontology, Ethics, and Stewardship.

This article presents a philosophical paradigm shift grounded in cellular biology, repositioning life, rather than human consciousness, as the ontological and epistemological foundation for understanding and participating in reality. Drawing on emerging research in bioelectricity, cognition-based ev...

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Published in:Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science Vol. 61; no. 2; pp. 421 - 446
Main Author: Liu, Jianxin
Format: Article
Published: Open Library of Humanities Jun2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jun2026
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        atl: From Cells to the Cosmos: An Integrative Approach to Ontology, Ethics, and Stewardship.
      aug:
        au: Liu, Jianxin
        affil: Lecturer in Literacy/ESL, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia
      su:
        Ontology
        Systems biology
        Biopotentials (Electrophysiology)
        Ethics
        Cytology
        Distributed artificial intelligence
        Modern philosophy
        Ecosystems
      sug:
        subj:
          Ontology
          Systems biology
          Biopotentials (Electrophysiology)
          Ethics
          Cytology
          Distributed artificial intelligence
          Modern philosophy
          Ecosystems
      ab: This article presents a philosophical paradigm shift grounded in cellular biology, repositioning life, rather than human consciousness, as the ontological and epistemological foundation for understanding and participating in reality. Drawing on emerging research in bioelectricity, cognition-based evolution, systems biology, and process philosophy, this work explores seven interconnected pillars that together constitute a cell-based paradigm: self-organization, teleodynamic intelligence, bioelectric communication, scaling vitality, observer-participancy, affirmative vitalism, and humble humanism. This shift challenges anthropocentric paradigms by explicating that cellular intelligence exhibits purposive behavior, adaptive problem-solving, and distributed cognition, all without requiring human consciousness or centralized control. It delineates how these systematic principles scale from molecular to planetary and, in all probability, cosmic dimensions, offering novel perspectives on environmental interactions, social organization, and emerging technologies. It is anticipated that this cell-based paradigm, which bridges empirical science and philosophical inquiry, can provide practical guidance for navigating complex systems characterized by distributed intelligence, emergent properties, and creative advancement through pluralistic exploration rather than optimization toward overly simplistic singular solutions.
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      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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      custom: Copyright of Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science is the property of Open Library of Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
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          year: 2026
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