Fragility; mortality; and vulnerability in the ontology of life: Towards a proposal for biontological categories

Abstract

The article addresses fragility, mortality, and vulnerability as fundamental aspects of the ontology of life, proposing a framework of biontological categories for their analysis. It begins with the premise that life cannot be understood solely in biological or functional terms but rather requires an ontological approach that accounts for its precarious and relational nature. Fragility is presented as an inherent condition of living beings, expressing their exposure to deterioration and loss. Mortality, in turn, is not only a temporal boundary but also a structuring principle of lived experience and interaction among living beings. Finally, vulnerability is conceived as a constitutive openness to being affected by the environment, by others, and by a contingent process. From this perspective, the article argues for the development of biontological categories that move beyond the nature–culture dichotomy and foster a more complex understanding of life. In doing so, biontology not only interrogates the fundamental structure of life but also enables a critical reflection on the conditions that sustain it and the threats it faces in the current context.