The present Chapter relates and summarizes the main features of biological
systems. Contrary to molecular biology, systems biology does not attempt at explaining
biological events in terms of the properties of biomolecules but in terms of systems of
biomolecules. As these systems are abstract entities it follows that systems biology has
an abstract character that can only be approached by the use of mathematics. Exactly as
for physics, this situation raises the question of the concrete reality of the theoretical
concepts.
Keywords: Systems and emergent properties, Systems and information, Systems
and Plato’s metaphysics, Systems and mathematics, Reality and objectivity of
mathematical concepts, Systems and artificial life.
