The vital principle, an enigma buried alive
El principio vital, un enigma enterrado vivo
Author
Espinoza, Miguel
Abstract
The origin of the present reflection is to be found in the doctrine I call universal naturalism: everything that exists is natural whether or not it is described and explained satisfactorily by the natural sciences. Now it is well known that despite the progress of the positive and empirical sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology, we do not have a satisfactory explanation of what makes a living being precisely that, a living entity. It is therefore essential to re-examine the thesis of the vital principle, and I believe that contemporary science would honour itself by taking it up again in order to better understand the constitution and behaviour of living beings. La presente reflexión emana de la doctrina que llamo naturalismo universal: todo lo existente es natural sea o no descrito y explicado satisfactoriamente por las ciencias naturales. Ahora bien, a pesar de los progresos de las ciencias positivas y empíricas como la física, la química y la biología, no tenemos una explicación satisfactoria de lo que hace que un ser vivo lo sea. En consecuencia resulta indispensable reexaminar la tesis del principio vital y considero que la ciencia contemporánea se honraría retomándolo con el objetivo de comprender mejor la constitución y el comportamiento del ser vivo.
Metadata
Show full item recordRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
“A Vital testimony confirmed…”: Sources and Networks Polarization over Catrillanca’s Case on Twitter
Santos, Marcelo Luis Barbosa; Jaramillo Castro, Oscar; Aguirre, Daniel. Cuadernos.info; No. 49 (2021): Computational methods and Big Data; 26-50 -
Influence of perceived social support and personality factors in vital satisfaction of university students
Novoa, Consuelo; Barra, Enrique. Terapia Psicológica; Vol. 33, Núm. 3 (2015); 239-245 -
Relationship between Emotional Intelligence with Life Satisfaction, Subjective Happiness and Resilience in Special Education employees
Veloso-Besio, Constanza; Cuadra-Peralta, Alejandro; Antezana-Saguez, Ivonne; Avendaño-Robledo, Rosa; Fuentes-Soto, Leslie. Pedagogical Studies; Vol. 39 Núm. 2 (2013); 355-366