Abstract

The classic theme of biological morphogenesis will be discussed through the pages of Alan Turing’s essay The chemical basis of Morphogenesis (1952). After a presentation of the theory posed by the English mathematician, we will draw some suggestions about the philosophical notion of form and formation. In particular, the morphogenetic process will be defined in terms of the important concept of guided instability, which represents the focus of Turing’s theoretical proposal. In the final part, we will analyze a case of digital art, providing an understanding of it in terms of Turing’s theory