Differenze intenzionali. Macchina, organismo ed ipseità in Heidegger e Scheler

Abstract

The aim of the article is to outline the central features of Heidegger’s and Scheler’s reflection on the concepts of life and the living being, organ and organism, machine and consciousness. More specifically, the analysis emphasizes the essential role of intentionality (in its peculiar difference from instinct), which both for Scheler and for Heidegger, although within different philosophical perspectives, constitutes the key notion for an adequate understanding of the living being as opposed to the machine. The essay follows two parallel paths: 1) the historical reconstruction of the genesis and development of the conceptual tools that both authors elaborate in relation to the philosophical question concerning [the understanding of] life; 2) the theoretical analysis and the comparison of the proximities and discrepancies between Scheler’s and Heidegger’s investigation.