The starting point for this article was the re-evaluation of some metatheoretical principles of Gestalt Theory. Such principles have survived the confrontations with the constructivist cognitive theories of the 1960's and '70's. Immediately follows an outline of the debate regarding the theoretical and experimental issues between those who sustained the Gestalt theory, such as G. Kanizsa, and those who advocated in favour of cognitive theory, such as R. Gregory. The controversy concerning the priority of "shape organisation laws" over the "meaning factor" do not seem to have been resolved in experimental terms. At present, however, the simulation in artificial models seems to provide a new and efficent way of verifying and confronting theories. The simulation of perception processes through connexionism has made possible the re-evaluation of "Prägnanz-Law" which, according to Gestalt Theory, accounts for the organisation of the visual field in distinct formal units. The PDP connexionism refers explicitly to Gestalt Theory. This, however, does not mean that the absence of a general theory of cognitive processes does not have its shortcomings and difficulties.