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L I FE CON C EPTS FROM A R I STOT LE TO DARWI N O n Ve g e t a b l e S o u l s

Life Concepts from Aristotle to Darwin

Lucas John Mix

Life Concepts from Aristotle to Darwin On Vegetable Souls

Lucas John Mix Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA

ISBN 978-3-319-96046-3 ISBN 978-3-319-96047-0  (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96047-0 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018948656 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover image: GeorgePeters/Getty Images Cover design: Akihiro Nakayama This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

Preface

When I first encountered the vegetable soul, I thought it an odd curiosity, a strange turn of phrase. As I investigated, I began to realize it had an important part to play in the history of “life” as we know it. Vegetable souls oriented biology for two millennia through the influence of Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, Pliny, Origen, Plotinus, Ibn Sînâ, Maimonides, and Aquinas. They influenced the shift to modern biology through Gassendi, Leibniz, and Hegel. And yet, I could find no systematic account, no story of vegetable souls. The very term seemed laden with contradiction and was unknown to many historians and philosophers. I set out to write the book I wanted to read: a history of theories of life prior to Darwin, in particular a history of vegetable souls. As we move forward in biology, exploring the origins of life on Earth, the possibility of life elsewhere, and the very boundaries of individuality (genetic, microbial, and neurological), it seems wor