Organismus
Die Erklärung der Lebendigkeit
[Organism. The Explanation of Liveliness]

The concept of the organism marks the start of biology. It is also a key word of this discipline. From a historical perspective, it superseded the ancient principle of liveliness, the soul. The new concept emphasizes the formation of vital functions from the interaction of all components of the system—and not just as the result of centralized control. The concept is currently experiencing a boom. This has led to the concept increasingly influencing other disciplines. In turn, it has become evident that the concept originated from extra-biological models.

With contributions by O. Breidbach, T. Cheung, J. Dupré and M. A. O’Malley, M. Gutmann, G. Heinemann, H. W. Ingensiep, K. Köchy, U. Krohs, M. Laubichler, M. F. Meyer, E. Müller, S. Poggi, and M. Schark.