Publications

Function pluralists argue against the possibility of any unified account of function that would capture the multiple functional ascriptions we make in our use of ‘function’. Here, I contribute to this pluralist view. I dissect a specific case of functional ascription in molecular biology—the attribution of functions to catalytic RNAs called ribozymes—and argue that it highlights serious issues for the philosophical project of proposing a unified account of function. These issues stem from the multiple contexts in which ribozymes are found: they occur in living organisms; they are artificially synthesized in the laboratory; they are even hypothesized to have spontaneously occurred on Earth 3.8 billion years ago, as proposed by the RNA-world scenario of the origin of life. I argue that ribosomal functional ascription in these different contexts supports a strong form of pluralism for accounts of function that I call ‘local-pluralism’.

Malaterre, C. (2023). What are ribozymes for? Arguing for function pluralism. Dans J. Gayon, A. de Ricqlès et A. C. Dussault (dir.), Functions: From organisms to artefacts (p. 265-280). Cham: Springer International Publishing.