The 1965 volume "La connaissance de la vie," now available in German translation, brings together Canguilhem's essays that examine the relationship between thought and life from biological, medical, and neo-vitalist perspectives. In this work, Canguilhem develops his famous thesis that life should not primarily be understood as a cycle of self-preservation, but rather as a vital dynamic of self-transcendence. This radical redefinition of the concept of life has become one of the key reference points in contemporary discussions in the life sciences, philosophy, and aesthetics. Canguilhem's neo-vitalist reflections thus shed new light on the currently vibrant debates surrounding biopolitics and bioscience, which were inspired by Canguilhem's famous student Michel Foucault.