Guglielmo Militello, PhD
Philosophy of Biology & Medicine

Between 2.7 and 1.2 billion years ago, a new organism appeared: the eukaryotic cell. Present in fungi, plants, algae, and animals, it emerged as a gradual transformation of prokaryotic cell (the cell of bacteria and archeobacteria). In this sense, we are the descendants of bacteria. This incredible evolutionary journey invites us to rethink individuality and functional integration as the outcome of deeply cooperative processes.

Reproduction necessitates the integration of reproduction, growth, and metabolism. These processes form the physiological foundation for unifying intra- and cross-generational functions, providing insight into the continuity between constitutive processes and reproductive functions.

This article examines biological regulation in the life sciences, focusing on how functional integration links signalling, metabolism, and regulatory mechanisms in living systems.

The notion of biological autonomy was firstly presented by Maturana and Varela’s autopoiesis theory. This article examines the type of functional integration necessary for a biological system to achieve autonomy and a self-directed behaviour (internal teleology).

Why is functional integration unavoidable when biology, medicine, and philosophy discuss organisms? Individuals are broadly defined as integrated sets of cells, tissues and organs, but what does this integration precisely mean? This article explores the different meanings of this expression in science and philosophy, clarifying their similarities and differences.