Human Sketch

Naturalism

 

I thought sketching a human is rather appropriate because at our level of development, there seems to be much more to life than simply surviving. Relating to naturalism described in the article in the NY Times, I was especially interested in how philosophy explored our lives and what it might entail other than the simple recognition that physical science can account for everything in this world. This quote from the article captured my attention, “Physical science could never explain anything with a purpose, whether it be human thought or a flower’s bending toward the sun. That would have made everything special about living things — and especially us — safe from a purely scientific understanding. It would have kept questions about humanity the preserve of religion, mythmaking and the humanities.” I think it is common for people to fear or reject what they cannot comprehend; a survival instinct if you will, that greatly diminishes the chance to explore new knowledge in my opinion. Philosophy, the route to explain how life works amongst all the uncertainty, should gain traction with naturalism as a different approach in looking at life. It is important to recognize the fallibility in all things, and that while us humans may be the most intelligent species on this planet, we are often the unwise ones, yielding to arrogance and not to humility.

 

Done