Adolf Portmann

Adolf Portmann ( born May 27, 1897 in Basel, † 28 June 1982 Binningen ) was a Swiss biologist, zoologist, anthropologist and philosopher of nature.

Life

Portmann studied under Friedrich Zschokke zoology in Basel, where he in 1921 his doctorate with a thesis on "The Odonata around Basel. Contribution to biological systematics of the Central European Dragonflies " received.

After living in Geneva, Munich, Paris and Berlin and work in marine laboratories in Banyuls -sur -Mer, Roscoff, Villefranche -sur -Mer and Helgoland, where he studied mainly in marine snails, especially opisthobranch, he was in 1931 appointed professor of Zoology at the University of Basel appointed. Now, an intensive study was added to the behavior of the birds. Increasingly he dealt then with the working field of " comparative morphology of vertebrates ".

He often worked in an interdisciplinary and was in contact with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, which in turn was also an anthropologist. Portmann dealt among other things with topics of sociology and philosophy. In 1941 he published the first time a contribution to the special status of man in nature ontogenetic as phylogenetic perspective. In the following years Portmann published continuously further contributions to the special position of man in nature and treated amplifies the early years of the human being from an evolutionary point of view. This special position of "physiologically completely unspecialized " in its development open people distinguish him as " forever Nascent " from all other physiologically highly specialized, " so - existent " living beings. He coined the terms " physiological prematurity 'and' secondary nest stool ", which even today are used.

These considerations were taken up in the port 's philosophical anthropology, especially with Arnold Gehlen, who coined the concept of the flawed being, the Portmann has again criticized.

Scientific topics

The concept of physiological prematurity says that the man, in comparison to animals, would much born prematurely. While it will come to a maturation of the open sense organs and the musculoskeletal system in the womb, yet the man is but at the time of his birth rely completely helpless and total supply. This fact is contrary to the maturity level of other placental mammals at birth (eg, elephant, horse). Characteristic of humans is by Portmann result of this forward the birth that many development processes are not isolated but embedded take place in a socio-cultural environment. Due to its dependence of human social contact and environmental influences was open. This openness is a prerequisite for cultural and spiritual learning for Portmann.

Another recurrent in Portmann's research and publications subject is the external shape of animals, especially in his works The animal form, camouflage in the animal kingdom and New Ways of biology. Port man faces here on the already during his lifetime highly controversial thesis that the design of the surface can be explained not immediately from its adaptive value. His empirically and theoretically well-founded criticism of extreme adaptationist ideas is currently stayed even for those who can not make friends with his concept of " value representation ".

Portmann's considerations in this field have influenced, among other things, Hannah Arendt, who, felt Portmann's critique of the idea that one must trace the surface of the living being to something else, deeper Lying to be extremely fruitful.

Finally, Portmann interested in perception and action of the animals ( in contrast to the physical- biological basis ) and has 1953 works published biological behavior ( the animal as a social being ). In this context, especially his introduction of the notion of the " inner world " created ( coined by Johann Jakob von Uexküll ) of the animals ( at Portmann: " inwardness " ) controversy. He certainly does not refer to something mystical, like many of his critics suspected, but the subject quality of animals: their ability to perceive themselves to experience, and to act.

Together with Max Scheler, Helmuth Plessner and Arnold Gehlen coined Portmann philosophical anthropology prevail.

Played a major role for Portmann public teaching and educational activities. He has written since the twenties, hundreds of newspaper articles, held lectures and especially ( since 1928! ) Spoken radio broadcasts. To an extent, as it was not to be found in the German language since William Bölsche, Portmann has sought and achieved natural history education for lay people. At the same time he's been through the establishment of Swiss Youth in Science, the promotion of young scientists brought forward. A sensual and aesthetic natural history education as opposed to a purely theoretical- intellectual was a big concern, he represented repeatedly in articles and radio addresses him.

Honors

Major works

  • Introduction to the comparative morphology of vertebrates (1948 )
  • The animal form (1948 )
  • The animal as a social being (1953 )
  • Zoology and the new image of man (1956, 3rd edition 1969)
  • Biology and mind (1956, reissued with a foreword by Thure von Uexküll 1999)
  • New ways of Biology ( 1961)
  • Departure of life research (1965 )
  • From the Living (1973 )
  • At the frontiers of knowledge (1974, autobiography )

Pictures of Adolf Portmann

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