Homunculus. Icone del Sé, da Paracelso a Ratatouille = Homunculus. Icon of Self, from Paracelso to Ratatuille

Abstract

Homunculus. Icon of Self, from Paracelso to Ratatuille. The aim of this paper is to propose a theoretical reflection on the one of the most representative icons of Western Identity : the homunculus. Popularized in sixteenth century alchemy as well as twenty-first century fiction, a Homunculus is a representation of a small human being and it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. Currently, in the western imaginary and in some scientific fields, a homunculus may refer to the essential core of human identity as opposed to the latest theories emerged in the social and neurological sciences.