Pierre Bonneels

This chapter aims at providing a methodological reflection on the possibility of a philosophy of nature in Tanabe Hajime’s “logic of species.” It will firstly highlight the challenges involved in discussing the notion of “organism” and in providing a substantial contribution to the ongoing discussion on the significance of natural beings in Tanabe’s system. Secondly, without discounting these challenges concerning Tanabean philosophy, it will highlight the possibility of applying the logic of species to our approach towards the sphere of the natural; and further hypothesize Tanabe’s philosophy of nature by contextualizing his concepts in reference to basic terms in biology. By taking a dialectical approach, this chapter will demonstrate how the logic of species in Tanabe’s account can be relevant to the field of philosophy of nature; and also, how its application to the biological concept of species can generate a particular understanding of the natural world that fits within Tanabean metaphysics.