Workshop of the DFG funded research project “Genealogy and Belonging. Concepts of Reproduction, Decent and Kinship”, organized by PD Dr. Susanne Lettow and Gregory Rupik, M.A.

July 6-7, 2018, Freie Universität Berlin, Seminarzentrum

Post-Kantian Naturphilosophie, that had been regarded as an intellectual anomaly by positivist standards, has been gradually re-integrated into the history of the life sciences since the 1970s. More recently, Schelling’s philosophy of nature and its subsequent adaptations have gained attention in the context of the anti-Kantian turn in philosophy. Focusing on the central status of the notions of procreation, generation, production, and reproduction in naturephilosophical thought, this workshop hopes to explore the impact of Naturphilosophie on the emergence of an “epistemic space” of reproduction. It seems that reproduction is a core issue that is addressed by different but intersecting epistemic strategies geared towards scientific, philosophical, religious, or mythological knowledge claims. In addition, at the turn of the 19th century reproduction functioned as a conceptual hinge for debates on heredity, variation and human diversity; for the concepts of growth, metamorphosis and temporal change; for the relation of organisms and their environments; and for the meaning of gender differences. As much as Naturphilosophie was shaped by these converging epistemic projects, we also hope to highlight the heterogeneity and difference between Naturphilosophies and Naturphilosophs, and suggest the exploration of these (and additional) topics:

• Epistemic strategies, in particular the relevance of analogical thinking
• Conceptualizations of change, stasis, and modes of temporality
• Articulations of difference, dualism, polarity and unity
• Meanings of human and nonhuman agency

Invited Speakers: Stefani Engelstein (Durham), Andrea Gambarotto (Louvain), Brigitte Hilmer (Basel), Jocelyn Holland (Los Angeles), Christine Lehleiter (Toronto), Susanne Lettow (Berlin), Dalia Nassar (Sydney), Barbara Orland (Basel), Gregory Rupik (Berlin/Toronto).