biology

nationality

German

occupation / innovator as

biologist

innovator in the field of

is the science of the plan factor in all living things. While chemistry and physics do not know plan as a natural factor, biology consist in erecting a scaffolding of propositions that recognize plan as the basis of life.

Uexkull defines biology as 'the science of the plan factor in all living things. . . Chemistry and physics do not know plan as a natural factor. Biology consist in erecting a scaffolding of propositions that recognize plan as the basis of life . . . Physics asserts that the natural objects of our environment obey only causality. In opposition to this, biology asserts that, in adddition to causality, there is also a second subbjective rule, by which we order objects the principle of plan, which is a necessary complement to our concept of the universe' Biological phenomena the term refers to the organism as such and to the mutual relations between organism and environmentremain incomprehensible so long as we do not recognize, in addition to causality, a second, an immaterial naiural facf.or in operation-...-plan. This new natural factor is neither physical nor psychic, but a 'third factor'... biology takes its place beside physiology and psychology as ' the science of the third factor, the science of plan ..'. The great advantage of biological natural research lies in the fact that in this way we learn to operate with immaterial natural factors as an independent category-without ascribing to them psychic . .

UexkullThinkers

Uexkull