In this thesis I present a critical examination of the role played by mechanistic ideas in shaping our understanding of living systems. I draw on a combination of historical, philosophical, and scientific resources to uncover a number of problems which I take to result from the adoption of mechanistic thinking in biology. I provide an analysis of the historical development of the conflict between mechanistic and vitalistic conceptions of life since the seventeenth century, and I argue that the basic terms of this conflict remain central to current disputes over the nature of the organism as well as the question of how far the theories, concepts, and methods of physics, chemistry, and engineering can ultimately take us in the explanation of life. I offer a detailed critique of the machine conception of the organism, which constitutes the central unifying idea of mechanistic biology. I argue that this notion, despite its undeniable heuristic value, is fundamentally inadequate as a theory of the organism due to a number of basic differences between organisms and machines. Ultimately, I suggest that the neglected vitalistic tradition in biology actually possesses the best conceptual tools for coming to terms with the nature of living systems. I also undertake a philosophical analysis of the concept of mechanism in biology. I argue that the term ‘mechanism’ is actually an umbrella term for three distinct notions, which are unfortunately conflated in philosophical discussions. I explore the relation between mechanistic biology and the new philosophical interest in the concept of mechanism and I show that these two research programs have little to do with one another because each of them understands the concept of mechanism in a different way. Finally, I draw on the historical and philosophical foundations of cell theory to propose an epistemological perspective which enables the reductionistic explanation of the organism without having to give up the distinctive features of life in the process. In this way, I show this perspective to have significant advantages over the classic physicochemical reductionism of mechanistic biology.

Karl-Birger Blomdahl (1916-1968) et Ingvar Lidholm (né en 1921) sont deux chefs de file de la musique suédoise moderne. Étudiants à Stockholm, ils forment un cercle d’études connu sous le nom de Groupe du Lundi. Perçus comme des antiromantiques, ils renouvellent la création musicale en plaçant au cœur de leurs intérêts la technique de composition (hantverk), la ligne mélodique et des notions gestaltistes comme l’organisme.À la suite d’une étude concernant ce cadre historique, esthétique et théorique commun, cette thèse propose une analyse détaillée de trente œuvres de Blomdahl et de Lidholm datant des années 1940. Élaborée à partir du contexte esthétique et théorique initial, mais aussi à partir des théories de Schenker et de Meyer, la méthode d’analyse permet de représenter graphiquement et textuellement la cohérence compositionnelle et la dynamique des œuvres. Cette thèse démontre les divergences mélodiques, tonales et organiques essentielles concernant les langages musicaux de Blomdahl et de Lidholm. Elle démontre aussi que les notions de linéarité, de dissonance et de contrepoint revêtent plus de significations dans leurs langages respectifs que celles qui sont initialement évoquées par les textes de l’époque. Finalement, elle met en lumière des éléments esthétiques et compositionnels qui contribuent à donner un élan significatif à la musique moderne en Suède. / Karl-Birger Blomdahl (1916-1968) and Ingvar Lidholm (1921- ) were two leading figures in modern Swedish music. While studying in Stockholm they created a study circle known as the Monday Group. Regarded as anti-romanticists, Blomdahl and Lidholm revitalized musical creation by prioritizing compositional technique (as in hantverk, i.e. craft), melodic line and Gestalt concepts such as organicism.Following a study of this shared historical, aesthetic and theoretical framework, this thesis proposes a detailed analysis of thirty works by Blomdahl and Lidholm, dating from the 1940s. Based on the initial aesthetic and theoretical context and also on the theories of Schenker and Meyer, the analytical method used enables a graphical and textual representation of the compositional coherence and dynamic of the respective works.This thesis establishes the essential melodic, tonal and organic divergences in the musical languages of Blomdahl and Lidholm. Additionally, this thesis shows that the notions of linearity, dissonance and counterpoint have a deeper significance in Blomdahl’s and Lidholm’s respective musical languages than is to be found in many texts dating from this period. Finally, this thesis highlights aesthetic and compositional components that significantly invigorate modern music in Sweden.

Beginning with the developments in biological sciences since the 1750s, many scientists have been exploring the characteristics of Nature and the living. These developments, not only enabled humans to understand the interrelations among natural beings, but also influenced and shaped an organic tradition of architectural design during modernity. In many contemporary computer-aided projects, organicity is still seen to hold a decisive though different role in formal processes, as well as acting as a guide in the design process. The thesis explores the architectural design processes involved with the natural processes in form-making within the context of the computational paradigm. To this end, organic/genomic architecture examples are researched, proceeding through a historical analysis of the characteristics of the organic tradition in modern architecture, discussed and re-analyzed within the context of instances of contemporary organic projects in computer-aided design. Through the analysis of such projects and their properties, organicism is re-evaluated within the realm of computational design.

Abstract to come later

This work seeks to trace the influence of G.W. Leibniz on G.W.F. Hegel and the chapter called ‘Force and the Understanding’ in his Phänomenologie des Geistes. Using Leibniz’s theory of forces developed in texts such as Specimen Dynamicum, in which Leibniz argues against the Cartesians in favour of a ‘dynamic’ view on substances, it is here argued that the notion of biological life is of crucial importance for understanding Hegel’s transition from Consciousness to Self-Consciousness at the end of ‘Force and the Understanding’. For Leibniz, force is posited as that which gives unity to the monad, and this by functioning as their inner source of activity. This infusion of activity into the monad gives rise both to the physical world of bodies, as well as to the mental world of consciousnesses. Leibniz also sees force in direct analogy with biological life, as they share one characteristic feature, namely the capacity for ‘perception’ and ‘desire’. Consequently, organic life is for Leibniz what is most real in the world, uniting all bodies with a conscious soul. This move, I argue, is essential for understanding Hegel in ‘Force and the Understanding. More specifically, when Hegel’s consciousness discovers that, through the dialectic of force and law, organic life has become its new object, it also realizes that its faculty of the Understanding [Verstand] is related to its very own biological nature. The outer world of appearance, consciousness realizes, is thereby intimately connected to the inner of things, the so called supersensible world. Hegel thus regards consciousness of biological life as a sort of bridge that unites the Understanding with the concept, or rather, unites internal thinking with the outside world. This gives rise to Consciousness’ awareness of its own thinking, which is equivalent to it becoming a Self-consciousness.

This dissertation demonstrates how Samuel Taylor Coleridge provides a unique vision of reality in which his evolving self-consciousness mirrors, contributes to, and is subsumed by a single universal consciousness. Utilizing the divine power of imagination, he is able to decipher the images from the material world as characters of God's symbolic language of self-revelation; subsequently, through the divine "attribute" of reason, he is able to transform them into a corresponding symbolic language of poetry. He realizes that his creativity is a finite repetition of God's infinite act of creation in which "spirit," God's consciousness in creation, comes to an awareness of itself through the human mind. This study argues that, according to Coleridge, these processes follow a divine intention, and the human faculties and the mind's structure have been molded precisely to achieve a particular understanding of reality that conforms to God's requirements and for spirit's self-actualization. Furthermore, the process by which Coleridge creates and derives knowledge from his poetic expressions follows an archetypal blueprint according to which all natural processes operate. This project illustrates not only how the theory of organicism lies at the foundation of the complex, reciprocal relationship between Coleridge's artistic expression and developing subjectivity, but also how there is an organic interrelationship between an individual's developing self-consciousness and spirit's growing awareness of its cosmic totality. Ultimately, Coleridge's writings reveal that the macrocosmic and microcosmic processes are organically interrelated, interdependent, and symbiotic and that this "truth" is gradually discovered through his experiences of the divine elements of love and beauty in creation.

Estudos anteriores já destacaram a influência do organicismo na arquitetura brasileira, com ênfase na arquitetura paulista. Porém, a maioria dessas pesquisas aborda arquitetos atuantes na cidade de São Paulo. O objetivo desta dissertação é investigar a influência do organicismo wrightiano na obra do arquiteto José Leite de Carvalho e Silva, que atua no interior do estado de São Paulo, principalmente na região de Campinas. Neste trabalho, procurou-se, inicialmente, expor os princípios da arquitetura orgânica de Frank Lloyd Wright, destacando os principais aspectos de sua carreira e obra. A partir dessa compreensão, procurou-se estabelecer os possíveis vínculos com a arquitetura brasileira e montar um quadro geral da arquitetura moderna paulista, destacando arquitetos cujas obras expressavam um pensamento projetual diferenciado nas décadas de 1940, 1950 e 1960. Esse período abrange também os anos de graduação, na FAU-USP, do arquiteto Carvalho e Silva, que se formou em 1956, e o começo de sua vida profissional. Em seguida, apresenta-se a obra deste arquiteto, descrevendo e analisando algumas residências selecionadas. Apesar de ter sido observada a influência da arquitetura orgânica de Frank Lloyd Wright nas obras estudadas, é importante ressaltar que outros fatores como as condições locais, a experiência profissional individual e as obras de outros arquitetos importantes também atuaram na definição de uma arquitetura própria de todos os arquitetos citados nesta pesquisa. / Previous studies have already highlighted the influence of organicism in Brazilian architecture, with emphasis on architecture from Sao Paulo. But the majority of research focuses on architects working in the city of Sao Paulo. The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright\'s organicism in the work of the architect Jose Leite de Carvalho e Silva, who works in the state of Sao Paulo, mainly in the region of Campinas. In this work, one tried, initially, to explain the principles of organic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, highlighting the main aspects of his career and work. From that understanding, one sought to establish the possible links with the Brazilian architecture showing a general framework of modern architecture of Sao Paulo, highlighting architects whose works expressed a different projetual thought in the decades of 1940, 1950 and 1960. This period also covers the years of graduation, at FAU-USP, of the architect Carvalho e Silva, who graduated in 1956, and the beginning of his professional life. Then it presents the work of this architect, describing and analyzing some selected households. Although it is observed the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright\'s organic architecture in the works studied, it is important to note that other factors such as local conditions, individual work experience and works of other important architects also contributes on defining a personal characteristic architecture of all the architects cited in this research.

This dissertation offers a re-interpretation of Novalis' Fichte Studien. I argue that several recent scholarly readings of this text unnecessarily exclude "organicism," or a panentheistic notion of the Absolute, in favor of "nonclosure," or the endless, because impossibly completed search for knowledge of the Absolute. My reading instead shows that, in his earliest philosophical text, Novalis makes the case for a Kantian discursive consciousness that can know itself, on Jacobian grounds, to be the byproduct (or accident) of a self-conditioning being or organism, and even more specifically a byproduct of God's panentheistic organism, at the same time that Novalis does not allow the possibility of discursive immediacy with that absolute standpoint; the epistemic consequence is that, while empirical science can proceed in the good faith that it makes valid reference to being, nonetheless it can never know its description of being to be final or complete. I call this position "organic nonclosure," and argue that Novalis holds it consistently throughout his very brief philosophical career. The keys to understanding Novalis' reconciliation of organicism and nonclosure are contextual and textual. Contextually, Novalis appreciates the inadvertent organicism in Jacobi's metacritique of Kant and also applies Jacobi's organicist metacritique to Fichte as well, with the result that Novalis' position in the Fichte Studien bears much resemblance to Herder's panentheistic ontology and modest epistemology. Textually, Novalis engages in a polysemy in the fragments of his Fichte Studien that performs the dependence of the sphere of empirical consciousness on a higher, intellectually intuitive being (a being that could only be a divinely creative intellection), and, simultaneously, the impossibility of presenting that identity in discursive terms. In other words, for Novalis, human knowledge of the existence of the organicist Absolute is enabled by, but also limited to, the merely contingent, empirical, and private experience of the dependence of the human subjective standpoint on an objectivity simply given to it.

In this thesis I trace the origins, morphology, and attributes of a particular strain of anti-materialism in the Western literary and cultural imagination of the second half of the twentieth century. With reference to previous work done on this topic I discuss how this anti-materialism rejects materialistic and rationalistic aspects of modernity and emphasises instead the importance of non-material aspects of society such as cultural integrity and cohesion, tradition, and instinct. I demonstrate that this strain relies on what Raymond Williams termed “organic form”, the fallacious belief that human society can and should follow a set of rules which can be objectively deducted from nature and I argue that it should be placed within the context of a long established anti-enlightenment tradition. Through an analysis of such writers as George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, JRR Tolkien, Edward Abbey, James Howard Kunstler, Chuck Palahniuk, Brian Aldiss and others I show how a common feature of this anti-materialism is concern and anxiety over the potentially destabilising or degenerative effects of life in a technologically advanced society where mechanisation, mass production, and scientific advances have brought relative comfort and prosperity to most people in society and hence I refer to this particular strain of anti-materialism as anti-technologism. More specifically, I am interested in this thesis with examining the way in which this reaction allows for a curious confluence and convergence of progressive and reactionary tendencies. I argue that anti-technologism is a distinct and detectable mood in Western literature, and I trace its origins and influences. Without claiming to provide a functionalist analysis, I consider the role of anti-technologism in Western literature which I see as broadly facilitating an exploration and discussion of themes of cultural vitality and cohesion in the increasingly cosmopolitan and technologically advanced societies of the West.

Estudos anteriores já destacaram a influência do organicismo na arquitetura brasileira, com ênfase na arquitetura paulista. Porém, a maioria dessas pesquisas aborda arquitetos atuantes na cidade de São Paulo. O objetivo desta dissertação é investigar a influência do organicismo wrightiano na obra do arquiteto José Leite de Carvalho e Silva, que atua no interior do estado de São Paulo, principalmente na região de Campinas. Neste trabalho, procurou-se, inicialmente, expor os princípios da arquitetura orgânica de Frank Lloyd Wright, destacando os principais aspectos de sua carreira e obra. A partir dessa compreensão, procurou-se estabelecer os possíveis vínculos com a arquitetura brasileira e montar um quadro geral da arquitetura moderna paulista, destacando arquitetos cujas obras expressavam um pensamento projetual diferenciado nas décadas de 1940, 1950 e 1960. Esse período abrange também os anos de graduação, na FAU-USP, do arquiteto Carvalho e Silva, que se formou em 1956, e o começo de sua vida profissional. Em seguida, apresenta-se a obra deste arquiteto, descrevendo e analisando algumas residências selecionadas. Apesar de ter sido observada a influência da arquitetura orgânica de Frank Lloyd Wright nas obras estudadas, é importante ressaltar que outros fatores como as condições locais, a experiência profissional individual e as obras de outros arquitetos importantes também atuaram na definição de uma arquitetura própria de todos os arquitetos citados nesta pesquisa. / Previous studies have already highlighted the influence of organicism in Brazilian architecture, with emphasis on architecture from Sao Paulo. But the majority of research focuses on architects working in the city of Sao Paulo. The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright\'s organicism in the work of the architect Jose Leite de Carvalho e Silva, who works in the state of Sao Paulo, mainly in the region of Campinas. In this work, one tried, initially, to explain the principles of organic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, highlighting the main aspects of his career and work. From that understanding, one sought to establish the possible links with the Brazilian architecture showing a general framework of modern architecture of Sao Paulo, highlighting architects whose works expressed a different projetual thought in the decades of 1940, 1950 and 1960. This period also covers the years of graduation, at FAU-USP, of the architect Carvalho e Silva, who graduated in 1956, and the beginning of his professional life. Then it presents the work of this architect, describing and analyzing some selected households. Although it is observed the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright\'s organic architecture in the works studied, it is important to note that other factors such as local conditions, individual work experience and works of other important architects also contributes on defining a personal characteristic architecture of all the architects cited in this research.