Kristian Köchy - Böcker

Dismissed by some as the last of the anti-Darwinians, his fame as a rigorous biologist even tainted by an alleged link to National Socialist ideology, it is undeniable that Jakob von Uexküll (1864-1944) was eagerly read by many philosophers across the spectrum of philosophical schools, from Scheler to Merleau-Ponty and Deleuze and from Heidegger to Blumenberg and Agamben. What has then allowed his name to survive the misery of history as well as the usually fatal gap between science and humanities?This collection of essays attempts for the first time to do justice to Uexküll’s theoretical impact on Western culture. By highlighting his importance for philosophy, the book aims to contribute to the general interpretation of the relationship between biology and philosophy in the last century and explore the often neglected connection between continental philosophy and the sciences of life. Thanks to the exploration of Uexküll’s conceptual legacy, the origins of cybernetics, the overcoming of metaphysical dualisms, and a refined understanding of organisms appear variedly interconnected.Uexküll’s background and his relevance in current debates are thoroughly examined as to appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers in fields such as history of the life sciences, philosophy of biology, critical animal studies, philosophical anthropology, biosemiotics and biopolitics.

Dismissed by some as the last of the anti-Darwinians, his fame as a rigorous biologist even tainted by an alleged link to National Socialist ideology, it is undeniable that Jakob von Uexküll (1864-1944) was eagerly read by many philosophers across the spectrum of philosophical schools, from Scheler to Merleau-Ponty and Deleuze and from Heidegger to Blumenberg and Agamben. What has then allowed his name to survive the misery of history as well as the usually fatal gap between science and humanities?This collection of essays attempts for the first time to do justice to Uexküll’s theoretical impact on Western culture. By highlighting his importance for philosophy, the book aims to contribute to the general interpretation of the relationship between biology and philosophy in the last century and explore the often neglected connection between continental philosophy and the sciences of life. Thanks to the exploration of Uexküll’s conceptual legacy, the origins of cybernetics, the overcoming of metaphysical dualisms, and a refined understanding of organisms appear variedly interconnected.Uexküll’s background and his relevance in current debates are thoroughly examined as to appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers in fields such as history of the life sciences, philosophy of biology, critical animal studies, philosophical anthropology, biosemiotics and biopolitics.

Der vorliegende dritte Band der auf vier Bände angelegten Erkundungen zur Bestimmung 'Leben' beginnt mit einer Analyse der Rassen- und Vererbungslehre bzw. der Euthanasiebestimmung in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts, um die ideologieaffine Vorgeschichte der sogenannten 'Biopolitik' aufzuschlüsseln. Danach werden unterschiedliche gesellschaftspolitische Versuche behandelt, über die Lebensbestimmung reflektiert Kontrolle zu gewinnen, und zwar in einer Zeit, die zugleich von zunehmender Prosperität und Globalisierung wie auch von der Bedrohung des Kalten Krieges bestimmt war. Thematisiert werden die Ökologische Apokalyptik in der Nachkriegszeit, Ambitionen der Friedensbewegung angesichts der Möglichkeit vollständiger Selbstvernichtung, krisenstimulierter Bildungsreformeifer, Wertschätzung industriellen Arbeitslebens und die Verfreizeitlichung des Lebens in eine unendliche Erlebnisorientierung des Lebens hinein. Zugleich zeigt sich, wie angesichts einer sich in Biomedizin transformierenden Medizin Leben zunehmend zu dem wird, was sich medizinisch-biotechnisch optimieren lässt. Ein letzter Teil geht vor dem Hintergrund der ersten beiden Teile aktuell dominanten Thematisierungen des Lebens vor allem im wissenschaftlichen Kontext nach. In eher systematisch angelegten Beiträgen wird aufgeschlüsselt: Wie verhalten sich Leben und Gesellschaft angesichts der Stammzelldiskussion zueinander? Wie wird Leben verrechtlicht? Welches Leben erfasst die Molekularbiologie? Und wie kommt Leben in den Blick im Kontext von Nanobionik, Hybriden und Biofakten, Konstruktionen des Lebens im postgenomischen Zeitalter und in den Neurowissenschaften?