10.27.09
Reductionist darwinism vs Schopenhauer
Comment on dsign, and Schopenhauer’s will
Stephen P. Smith said,
October 27, 2009 at 1:38 pm ·
Whose “will” is this that holds such vitality? The search for self almost never ends!
The fans of Darwinism cannot accept such a will, doing so is to admit to vitality and open the door to philosophical vetting.
Good point. I should point out that while I am a great admirer of Schopenhauer, that does not necessarily mean I accept his metaphysics of the will. However, he perspective shows deep insight, since it is a distant echo not just of Plato but of the Indian Samkhya.
Stephen P. Smith said,
October 27, 2009 at 4:12 pm
There is a retreat into our own private ontological cocoon to seek a calm vantage point and place to ponder. There must be such a safe place to go if we are going to make sense of our world, and the thoughts that are entertained make up what is called philosophy. Note being able to find a safe retreat is to subject one`s self to a perpetual strife, and leads to a puppet-like entrapment that is controlled by a dominant voice that knows no peace.
However, the ontological state of retreat can make no claims of knowing the world that is left behind. And so within philosophy we find a renewed call to venture into epistemology. Then the self finds itself leaving the cocoon behind in a metamorphous, and an effort is made to confront the tension that knows no peace; the self enters into empiricism and the mind returns to science. This temporary state continues until the time when the self is called to make sense of the world again.
Ontology cannot be separated from epistemology. Likewise, philosophy cannot be separated from science. Self-evidence is stark, but neither philosophy or science can get beyond their precondition that marks the barrier of self. At best a doorway is discovered, and through this doorway a better vantage point can be found and a better view of self seen.
Darwiniana » Comment on Darwinism vs Schopenhauer said,
October 29, 2009 at 12:54 pm
[...] Comment on Reductionist Darwinism vs Schopenhauer Stephen P. Smith said, October 27, 2009 at 4:12 pm · There is a retreat into our own private ontological cocoon to seek a calm vantage point and place to ponder. There must be such a safe place to go if we are going to make sense of our world, and the thoughts that are entertained make up what is called philosophy. Note being able to find a safe retreat is to subject one`s self to a perpetual strife, and leads to a puppet-like entrapment that is controlled by a dominant voice that knows no peace. [...]