ABSTRACT
Biology is very generally understood as any scientific reflection on living phenomena–so there is a biology of Aristotle, of Galen, of Harvey. Focusing on chemistry makes salient a paradox that is often overlooked by the histories of the emergence of biology, which are often concerned by the process through which biology became independent from ‘physico-chemistry’ or ‘the science of matter’. Metabolism arguably concerns biological organization. J. H. Zammito’s interpretative hypothesis assumes that a focus on vitalism vs mechanism is not the only or the best way to address the metaphysics of biology. The field of biology1 just before biology2 appeared articulated or torn between three major references: Leibniz, Newton, and Kant. The relationship between philosophy and science is a complex matter, and has evolved massively throughout history.
