On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machine

The purpose of this article is to discuss Canguilhem’s approach of Cartesian biology. More than a simple textual criticism, Canguilhem aims to demonstrate how, through the mechanical representation of the organism, a machine whose performance depends exclusively on the arrangement of its organs, Des...

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Main Author: Rafael Henrique Teixeira
Format: Article
Language:Portuguese
Published: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) 2018-04-01
Series:O Que Nos Faz Pensar
Online Access:http://www.oquenosfazpensar.fil.puc-rio.br/index.php/oqnfp/article/view/575
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spelling doaj-bd7e189b367b4189a0970221326978972020-11-24T22:08:07ZporPontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)O Que Nos Faz Pensar0104-66752018-04-012641575On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machineRafael Henrique Teixeira0Departamento de Filosofia, IFCH/UNICAMP - Pós-Doutorando (Bolsista FAPESP)The purpose of this article is to discuss Canguilhem’s approach of Cartesian biology. More than a simple textual criticism, Canguilhem aims to demonstrate how, through the mechanical representation of the organism, a machine whose performance depends exclusively on the arrangement of its organs, Descartes was forced to incorporate refractory elements to a comprehensive mechanism to the mechanical elucidation of the living body, elements that Canguilhem observes in the technological anthropomorphism found in metaphysics that underlies the animal-machine theory. On the one hand, this point of view about Cartesian philosophy is a corollary of the Canguilhem’s biological philosophy of technique. On the other hand, it is related to an important topic of Canguilhem’s philosophy: the quest, in the history of knowledge about life, for elements that reveal the irreducible originality of life up against the theoretical attempts of its annexation to non-living models. Considering Cartesian philosophy, this effort is even more expressive, because it happens exactly where the mechanism seemed to provide the ultimate word about the aspects of life.http://www.oquenosfazpensar.fil.puc-rio.br/index.php/oqnfp/article/view/575
collection DOAJ
language Portuguese
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Rafael Henrique Teixeira
spellingShingle Rafael Henrique Teixeira
On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machine
O Que Nos Faz Pensar
author_facet Rafael Henrique Teixeira
author_sort Rafael Henrique Teixeira
title On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machine
title_short On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machine
title_full On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machine
title_fullStr On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machine
title_full_unstemmed On machines and organisms. Canguilhem and the disguised aspects of Cartesian animal-machine
title_sort on machines and organisms. canguilhem and the disguised aspects of cartesian animal-machine
publisher Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
series O Que Nos Faz Pensar
issn 0104-6675
publishDate 2018-04-01
description The purpose of this article is to discuss Canguilhem’s approach of Cartesian biology. More than a simple textual criticism, Canguilhem aims to demonstrate how, through the mechanical representation of the organism, a machine whose performance depends exclusively on the arrangement of its organs, Descartes was forced to incorporate refractory elements to a comprehensive mechanism to the mechanical elucidation of the living body, elements that Canguilhem observes in the technological anthropomorphism found in metaphysics that underlies the animal-machine theory. On the one hand, this point of view about Cartesian philosophy is a corollary of the Canguilhem’s biological philosophy of technique. On the other hand, it is related to an important topic of Canguilhem’s philosophy: the quest, in the history of knowledge about life, for elements that reveal the irreducible originality of life up against the theoretical attempts of its annexation to non-living models. Considering Cartesian philosophy, this effort is even more expressive, because it happens exactly where the mechanism seemed to provide the ultimate word about the aspects of life.
url http://www.oquenosfazpensar.fil.puc-rio.br/index.php/oqnfp/article/view/575
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