Jacob von Uexkull

Torsten Rüting - Centre for the History of Science, Mathematics and Technology - Universität Hamburg

Jakob von Uexküll(1864 - 1944 )

in Hamburg1925 - 1939


Jakob von Uexküll (1864 – 1944)

stations of his life

*1864 in Keblas, today Mihkli (Estonia)

father: mayor of Reval (Tallin)Baltic-German nobility

1884-89 University of Dorpat, Tartu (zoology)

1889-1903 Physiologisches Institut der Universität Heidelberg bei

(Wilhelm Kühne (1837-1900)

1892-1903 Naples Zoological Station

1907 Honorary Doctorate, University of Heidelberg

1925 University of Hamburg

1939 retired

† 1944, CapriJakob von Uexküll, ca. 1903


Famous Publications

• 1909 Umwelt und Innenwelt der Tiere

• 1920 Theoretische Biologie

• 1934 Streifzüge durch die Umwelten von Tieren und Menschen

• 1936 Niegeschaute Welten.(Reminiscences)

• 1940 Bedeutungslehre


from Physiology to a general Biology

„Only the investigation of living beings as subjects can lead physiology onto the right way.And studying subjects means practizing Biology“ (Uexküll 1933)


Uexküll‘s renewed Biology

Biology should - study organisms not as objects, but as active subjects that are creating their “Umwelt”

- focus on the organism’s abilities to integrate itself into a

complex environment

“Umweltforschung”: the investigation of: the communicative unity of the organism and the world sensed by it.


„Umwelt“

unique phenomenal world embracing each individual, like a “soap bubble”

the world of an animal (human), the perception of which is determined by the animal’s design, it’s activity, needs, etc. the individual organism is always actively creating it’s Umwelt

„The Umwelt of an astronomer“, illustration by Thure v. Uexküll, 1934


Funktionskreis – function-circle

Illustrating: – the complex

interrelation of an organism and the objects of its environment.

– the Unity of• sensing and

acting• the subject and the object


Summarizing Uexküll’s Biology

The scientist is a subject, and pure objectivity is a myth.

The secrets of life cannot be revealed just by looking for physical or chemical causality.

Organisms are more than mechanisms; their fascinating abilities and behavior are based on sign processes –

perception and transmission of signs to which meaning is ascribedaccording to their significance in different situations.

Terminology of signs: „Merkzeichen, WirkzeichenLokalzeichen, Momentzeichen, Merk – und Wirkmal“


Uexküll dicovered as “Cryptosemiotician”

1977 Thomas A. Sebeok:“Jakob von Uexküll - A neglected figures in the history of semiotics.“on the III. Wiener Symposium über Semiotik

1980 Thure von Uexküll: „Komposionslehre der Natur“ (Selected Works)1981/87 „The sign Theory of Jakob von Uexküll“ in Klassiker der Semiotik

1993 Jakob von Uexküll-Centre, Tartu (Estonia), founded in close relation to „Tartu Semiotic School of Yuri Lotman

2001: Special issue of the journal Semiotica:„Jakob von Uexküll – A new paradigm for Biology and Semiotics“


Uexkülls outstanding discoveries in Physiology

• Invertebrates have distinct and seperate muscles for tension and contraction

• In simple nerve nets excitation is always flowing to the extended muscle („Uexkülls law“)


Some Honours

1907 Dr. med. h.c. Univ Heidelberg

1934 Dr phil. h.c. Univ. Kiel

1936 Dr. Wis-en NaturkundeUniv. Utrecht

1932 Leopoldina in Halle

1944 Goethe Medaille


„Hard-science“ in marine research laboratories

Uexküll and L.G. Tirala in Biaritz, 1914

1904-1914:Beck sur merBiaritzRoscoffMonaco

The idea of a „flying aquarium“

1892-1903 NaplesAnton Dohrn‘s Zoological Station


Finding Uexküll „his own“ laboratory in Hamburg

Otto Cohnheim (Kestner ) (1873-1953)

Since 1990ies with Uexküll in Heidelberg and Naples 1913 from Heidelberg to Hamburg

Physiologisches Institut – Eppendorf Hospital (Research on Enzymes, Physiology of UV-light, respiration)

1919 Ordinarius of Physiology, University institute Nominated Uexküll for the Nobel-price - twice


Hamburg – Laboratorium/Institut für

Umweltforschung 1925-1938 in old Zoological Garten

1925 „wissenschaftlicher Hilfsarbeiter“

„Laboratorium für Umweltforschung“

1927 „außerordentlicher Professor“

Tiergartenstr.1

1935? Visit of Konrad Lorenz


First „own“ laboratory

The Aquarium in the old Zoological Garden

(built by William Lloyd in 1870)

„Laboratorium für Umweltforschung“ in the small shop left of the entrance


1938 – 1959 in Gurlittstr. 37

1940 Prof. Friedrich Brock (1889-1959) assistent since 1926 successor of Uexküll

1941 Emilie Kiep-Altenloh (1888-1964) (sociologist, politician) associate since 1935heads intitute during the war,teaching guide-dogs essential to war effort

1946 Brock returns

1959 closed after Brocks death


Examples of creative research in the institute


Friedrich Brock: Interaction of the Hermit crab with the sea anemone (Sagartia).

Funktionskreis; Behausung• 1. crab with a shell house puts

the anemone upon its house-------------------------------------• 2. “naked” crab takes the

anemone as protector until it finds a shell.

-------------------------------------Funktionskreis; Nahrung• 3. If the crab is already in

symbiosis with anemones, than it interprets the appearance of another anemone as a welcome prey, it starts to feed on the animal.

F. Brock (1927): Das Verhalten des Einsiedlerkrebses Pagurus arrosor Herbst während des Aufsuchens, Ablösens und Aufpflanzens einer Seerose(...). Roux‘ Archiv für Entwicklungsmechanik 112Aus: Uexküll J. von, Kriszat G. 1934


“subjective space” (Der subjektive Raum) of the animal

- Photographic image represents the human Sehraum. By using a grids with different pitches of the matrix the resolution of the compound eye of a fly (Musca) or the eye of a mussel (Pecten) was emulated - the pitch of the raster, corresponding to the sensory elements in the eyes of the animals. Dots corresponding to “visual locations in the visual space. “Sehorte”

- In order to eliminate the artifacts of the grid, aquarell paintings of the supposed Umwelten were produced:Science-based pieces of art

human

Grid, raster pitch

Musca

Pecten

Uexküll J. v., Brock F. 1927. Atlas zur Bestimmung der Orte in den Sehräumen der Tiere. – Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie 5: 167-178.


Applied Umweltforschung: Teaching guide dogs - the method of

Uexküll-Sarris

The cart of the size of a man forces some features (obstacles) of the human Umwelt into the dog‘s Umwelt


Intellectual „Umwelt“ in HamburgAdolf Meyer-(Abich) (1893-1971)Philosopher of BiologyHolist

Ernst Cassirer (1874-1945)„Philosophie der symbolischen

Formen“„Essay on man“ (1944)

William Stern (1871-1938)„Persönlichkeitspsychologie“

Heinz Werner„Entwicklungspsychologie“

„Pferdestall“ University building housing the Institute of Psychology


1940-1944 Evening of his Life on Capri


Jakob von Uexküll-Archiv für Umweltforschung und

Biosemiotikat the University of Hamburg

Keeping: books and offprints of Uexküll‘s scientific libraryand the library of the „Institute für Umweltforschung“

Collecting: Uexküll, Umweltforschung, Biosemiotics

www.math.uni-hamburg.de/home/rueting

Jacob von Uexkull

Documents

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