Reconsider Hans Driesch’s Vitalism: New Perspectives

This chapter employs Hans Driesch’s vitalism as a case study to set the stage for the remainder of this book, thereby serving as an introductory or “warm-up” chapter. It begins with basic biographical information about Hans Driesch, emphasizing his often-overlooked philosophical concerns following his conversion to vitalism. The chapter then explores Driesch’s Kantian philosophy of nature, where his doctrine of entelechy is thoroughly elaborated in terms of its relationship to evolution, mind (psychoid), energy, Maxwell’s demon, and enzyme. The chapter concludes that Driesch’s interaction with the sciences of his era was typical in the history of natural philosophy and the sciences, where vitalists sought to theorize about vitalism and its relation to non-biological sciences.