mimesis

Abstract

The concept of mimesis is situated mainly in the field of aesthetics. Its relevance to the philosophy of nature must be considered from an aesthetic and historical perspective, since it has constantly been present in the histories of philosophy and art. This text focuses only on some important moments: Plato and Aristotle; modernity (essentially German idealism and Romanticism); the modern concept of representation as distinct from mimesis; and the debate that occurred during the twentieth century regarding the ontological and aesthetic status of mimesis. The aim of this article is to provide a theoretical framework that can place the concept of mimesis within the current debate surrounding the philosophy of nature, by showing the different relations that this concept has established between art and nature. For this purpose, the concept of mimesis is identified here by two of its fundamental attributes: its ontological commitment to name and to signify the world, and its construction of meaning depending on internal coherence.