The symbolic value of heart: Aristo, Kosciuszko and the organ transplants. An anthropological philosophical prospective

Abstract

What is the heart? A simple pump or the seat of the soul? As we know, like the Egyptians, many communities, philosophers, theologians, scientists have taken into account the role of the heart, wich was considered the seat of the soul. Today, the heart still has an important symbolic value as it has had in the past. The old prejudices about the role of the brain and the primacy of the heart not seem totally overdone. In this paper, we will allude to some of these positions and we will focus more on others. In particular, Aristotelian thought will be our thread conductor. Throughout history, many practical solutions have been found to solve this problem. Here, we chose to cite two events: one occurred in Swiss (during the Renaissance), and one in Russia (during the Bolshevik revolution). The link between these two situations is thin, as thin is the line that unites the various moments of our work. The aim is to offer an interdisciplinary point of observation to re-examine some topics related to the soul and body concepts.