States of origin: influences on research into the origins of life

Abstract

The twentieth century has seen a continuous process of redefinition of scientific understanding of the process by which life appeared on planet earth, and the emergence of a trans-disciplinary scientific field concerned with the question of the origin of life. The thesis explores the scientific, historical and conceptual issues relevant to this research field, and provides a novel analysis of the interrelated development of theories and experiments within it. The thesis will argue for a discovery-driven and technology-driven view of research into the origins of life, rather than a primarily hypothesis-driven endeavour. The thesis will also explore the influence exerted on research into the origin of life by its prime financial backer - the United States government’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Lastly, the theory will present research into the origin of life as an indicator of more general trends in the natural and life sciences.