The Atmosphere of the Living
Gernot Böhme and Adolf Portmann on the Boundaries of Aesthetics and Ethics of Life
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18641059Keywords:
Atmosphere, Life, Phenomenon, Bioaesthetics, Bioethics, Gernot Böhme, Adolf PortmannAbstract
The text creates space for mutual interpretation and reinterpretation of the aesthetics of philosopher Gernot Böhme and the phenomenal morphology of biologist Adolf Portmann. Both of these ambitious projects aim to radically reform their disciplines (aesthetics and biology) by breaking away from the subject-centric and logocentric foundations of modern anthropology. Using Böhme’s concept of atmosphere, we develop Portmann’s notion of self-manifestation and the unaddressed phenomenon of living beings. In doing so, we remove Portmann’s categories from their scientific context and limit Böhme’s dynamic model of things to living beings. Finally, based on the phenomenology of the living outlined above, we formulate an ethics of relation to living beings.
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