https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202430001006
Complexity in Mosaic Form: From living beings to ethics
UMR CNRS 8590, Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques, 13 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris, and UMR CNRS 7593 “Vulnérabilité, Adaptation et Psychopathologie”, Hôpital PitiéSalpêtrière, 91 Bd de l’Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
* e-mail: georgeschapouthier@gmail.com
Published online: 8 August 2024
The living world is comprised of beings with degrees of complexity developing in sequential stages, ranging from cellular organelles through cells, organs and organisms to animal populations, doing so in accordance with the repeated application of two basic principles: juxtaposition of entities arising from the same stage, then integration of these entities to produce a higher stage. As for a mosaic art work, the newly formed stage still leaves a degree of autonomy for the entities of the previous stage that combine to form the mosaic. The same mosaic-type construction can be used to describe mental processes in the living world, e.g. memory, cultural habits, consciousness, language, literature and even ethics.
Key words: Living being / complexity / integration / mental performance / memory / consciousness / language / literature / ethics
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2024
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
