La difference phyto-zoologique a partir de trois questions epistemologiques

Abstract

In this article, we examine the difference between plant and animal life in the light of three epistemological questions. The first concerns the bipolarity in the organic world between these two forms of life. This bipolarity does not appear, however, in terms of empirical criteria, which do not allow us to establish a clear difference, but in terms of the structure formed by these criteria. The whole is not the sum of its parts. The second concerns the thesis of homology between plants and animals. It is put to the test by the criterion of lived experience, in which perception and sensitivity play a major role. The third relates to a major epistemological difficulty when the human mind seeks to understand and describe the absolute otherness of plant life for us mortal, born creatures. Appearance, reality and ‘as if’ are the three hidden ways in which plants are described. So, the concepts that describe plants are very often fictitious concepts.