Abstract
The paper discusses the concept of synthetic biology from the perspective of the second part of Kant’s Critique of Judgement. Does Kant’s theory of reflective judgement provide room for understanding the epistemic preconditions and procedures of modern synthetic biology? As far as the self-conception of synthetic biology is concerned, I answer this question in the negative. Kant’s concept of organism fits to the perspective of the power of reflective judgement which aims at understanding natural phenomena as determined by the principle of teleology. It fits to the perspective of an interpretation of nature, but not of making nature itself work according to ends human beings create and realize in nature by means of its manipulation.