Funktionskreis e Gestaltkreis: la metafora del circolo nella biologia teoretica

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the use of the circle metaphor whitin the functionalist perspective by Jakob von Uexküll and the morphological perspective by Viktor von Weizsäcker. Whereas the functionalist theory dissolves the unity of the organism in the multiplicity of functional relationships, Weizsäcker’s morphology recognizes the fundamental unity of the biological act, leading to a new concept of the living organism