Following Hans-Jörg Rheinberger’s epistemological concept we show how a generic element of synthetic biology, the “biological switch”, can be integrated into an experimental system. Here synthetic biology is assumed to be a technoscience. Hence, the biological switch becomes a technoscientific research object. Consequently, the experimental system has to be analyzed in a technoscientific experimental setting, showing differences in comparison with the former. To work out the specific properties of the technoscientific experimental system, biological switching behavior (bistability) is compared with the scientific research object laser light in its classical setting. For the analyses, both the laser light and bistability, enabling a biological switch, are considered as epistemic things connected by the same theoretical concept of phase transitions. The so-called Schlögl model is used to model both biological switching behavior and induced emission of radiation and becomes an epistemic thing in itself. It becomes clear that the answer, whether one is dealing with the emission of laser light or with bistable switching behavior, is linked to the perspective taken. The technoscientific orientation towards applications and the development of basic scientific theories require different perspectives on one and the same epistemic thing, here also represented by the model. The research objects of synthetic biology as a technoscience thus also enter into the corresponding experimental systems as techno-epistemic objects. (Please note especially footnote 4 for an explanation and the differentiation of the used notions of “research object”, “knowledge object” or “object of knowledge”, “object of interest” and “epistemic thing” and “techno-epistemic object”. A clarification of the way how these notions are used is essential for further reading.) Their analysis leads to a more complete understanding of what constitutes synthetic biology.

中文翻译：

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合成生物学知识对象：从相变到生物开关

遵循 Hans-Jörg Rheinberger 的认识论概念，我们展示了如何将合成生物学的通用元素“生物开关”整合到实验系统中。在这里，合成生物学被假定为一门技术科学。因此，生物开关成为技术科学研究的对象。因此，实验系统必须在技术科学实验环境中进行分析，与前者相比显示出差异。为了确定技术科学实验系统的具体特性，将生物开关行为（双稳态）与其经典环境中的科学研究对象激光进行比较。在分析中，实现生物转换的激光和双稳态都被认为是由相同的相变理论概念连接的认知事物。所谓的 Schlögl 模型用于模拟生物开关行为和辐射的诱导发射，并且本身就成为一种认知事物。很明显，无论是处理激光发射还是双稳态开关行为，答案都与所采取的观点有关。面向应用的技术科学导向和基础科学理论的发展需要对同一个认知事物有不同的看法，这里也用模型来表示。合成生物学作为技术科学的研究对象也因此作为技术认知对象进入了相应的实验系统。（请特别注意脚注 4 对“研究对象”、“知识对象”或“知识对象”所用概念的解释和区分，“感兴趣的对象”和“认识的事物”和“技术认识的对象”。澄清如何使用这些概念的方式对于进一步阅读至关重要。）他们的分析导致对合成生物学的构成有更完整的理解。