Genetic Information Carried by Genes: From a Teleosemantic Point of View

Abstract

One of the most influential approaches to understanding the nature of genetic information is by the etiological theory of function, its most sophisticated exemplar being teleosemantics. Such discussions are largely focused on genetic information carried by the genes. Although the concept of gene itself has been a target of intense arguments, most of the earlier arguments had adopted rather simple and naive ones. By considering the arguments regarding the concept of gene more seriously, the current study aims to investigate the philosophical consequences of teleosemantic analysis of genetic information and shows that the nature of genetic information can differ depending on which concept of gene we adopt.