La forma come esperimento o come destino

Abstract

This essay focuses on the complex relationship between Walter Benjamin and Goethe’s morphological doctrines as a key way into defining the concept of the dialectical image. By analysing a wide and scarcely explored literature, it reconsiders Benjamin’s critical response to the re-utilisation of Goethe's work by German biologists. It thus establishes a theoretical framework for delineating Benjamin's radical opposition to Spengler’s philosophy of history.