A Rationalized Set of Default Postulates that Permit a Coherent Description of the Immune System Amenable to Computer Modeling

摘要

This discussion delineates and rationalizes a set of postulates that permit a coherent understanding of immune function. Although analytical tools such as mathematics and computer modeling have become very popular, simulation and data mining in the absence of a conceptual framework cannot increase understanding. The goal of this essay is to provide the foundation for a discussion that has as its goal the formulation of an agreed upon set of default postulates. Such a set is required to guide the algorithms needed to analyze complex immune behavior.