Form Substance Difference. Brief hints on "Bateson's epistemology"

Abstract

The article focuses on some key-concepts of Gregory Bateson's thought. Among philosopher there has always been a sort of dichotomy between the concepts of “form” and “substance” since ancient Greece; concerning this topic, Gregory Bateson (influenced by his studies on biology, communication and by the birth of Cybernetics) presents what - in his opinion - is the only possible statement able to describe reality: the map is not the territory.

The article, then, attempts to define what for Gregory Bateson is considered as an “eco-mental system” and, finally, discusses about its ethics implications.