The concept of transformation is a core problem in Goethe’s texts on morphology. In this article, I argue that the notion of transformation can result in a privileged perspective for a non-reductive philosophy of the organism. Keeping in mind the debate on adaptation inside evolutionary biology (e.g. S.J. Gould), I distinguish the concept of transformation from that of adaptation. The main thesis of this article is that the transformation process of an organism cannot be reduced to the realization of a predetermined possibility. This implies that the relationship between the ‘possible’ and the ‘real’, at least in the way it has been worked out in the mainstream of Western philosophy, should be reconsidered.
Sub specie transformationis. Trasformazione ed organismo
guido cusinato
2018-01-01
Abstract
The concept of transformation is a core problem in Goethe’s texts on morphology. In this article, I argue that the notion of transformation can result in a privileged perspective for a non-reductive philosophy of the organism. Keeping in mind the debate on adaptation inside evolutionary biology (e.g. S.J. Gould), I distinguish the concept of transformation from that of adaptation. The main thesis of this article is that the transformation process of an organism cannot be reduced to the realization of a predetermined possibility. This implies that the relationship between the ‘possible’ and the ‘real’, at least in the way it has been worked out in the mainstream of Western philosophy, should be reconsidered.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.