Evolution or representation? The strange case of an academic report

Abstract

This essay explores the theoretical propositions regarding the ontological divide between nature and culture as proposed by Philippe Descola, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, Bruno Latour and Vinciane Despret’s ethological studies within the framework of semiotics. In particular, it discusses the second generation of zoosemiotics, which challenges previous naturalistic paradigms by adopting an inter-natural approach, through the analysis of Franz Kafka’s “A Report to an Academy”. In Kafka’s text, the transformation of an ape into a human becomes a complex narrative that challenges Darwinian evolution through parody. It is an opportunity to navigate the blurred boundaries between the animal and the human: unlike Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”, where the transition from human to animal is seen, this story is the opposite, with an ape taking on human characteristics while retaining animal instincts. Kafka skilfully creates a regime of belief, challenging perception through an academic yet theatrical lens of an ape’s journey to humanisation and the inherent satire within.