Morphologie als wissenschaftliches ParadigmaZur Aktualität eines naturphilosophischen Begriffs

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As the concept of "morphology" gains momentum in the life sciences in the 21st century, defining this term becomes of vital importance for philosophy.The concept has turned into a paradigm, which transcends the framework of individual scientific methods thus undermining the separation of the life-, natural- and cultural-sciences. It has thereby attained the function of a ubiquitous ideal of scientific orientation. Since - as Ernst Cassirer has shown - a timely philosophy holds close ties to theory and empirical research of the life- and cultural-sciences, such an ideal has become the subject of the philosophy of culture. Cassirers diagnosis of the paradigmatic status of the morphological concept of gestalt in the sciences marks the point of departure of the present research project.The analysis aimed for in this research includes three steps: First, it will be necessary to provide the theoretical design of the current concept of morphology and its development as a paradigm. Secondly, Cassirer`s diagnosis will be evaluated and reviewed as a historical parallel to this concept, while also considering the function of gestalt for the natural sciences and humanities in the 1920's to 1940's, including its influences on Cassirer¿s philosophy of culture and the beginning of structuralism. Finally, it will become possible to carve out the historical and systematic relations to contemporary philosophy of culture.Aiming at the German and French speaking research areas, the research network will gather distinguished young researchers and well-established specialists from the fields of philosophy of culture and anthropology from Germany and France.