The double look on complex dimension
Gaia’s Ups and Downs The Gaia hypothesis, Earth as a living organism, dates back to the 70s (proposed by chemist James Lovelock and microbiologist Lynn Margulis). Initially treated as New Age delirium, Gaia eventually found scientific credit, as a vast system of interconnected lives. The natural sciences today are deeply imbued with this concept. But … Read more
A philosophical revival that founded the technological boom The Age of Enlightenment is synonymous with philosophical renewal. The eighteenth century saw the rise of rationalism and liberalism against religious obscurantism and noble conservatism. The Enlightenment is the one that great minds project on the world and the human condition. Humanity is getting rid of metaphysical … Read more
A highly sensitive concept While our fundamental concepts are constantly advancing, for the most part, that of suffering is in a kind of sacred tabernacle. It is extracted only to contemplate it with fear and immediately place it back in the same place. Its meaning is so repulsive that the phobia extends to the container … Read more
The flaws of an anarchist ecology What about the ecologist galaxy? It has its scientists, its spokesmen, its parties, its extremists. No governance. Undoubtedly its major handicap in the face of highly structured mega-industries. Lack of direction that leaves opponents’ lines in the running. Some, radical, cause great harm to the movement. Serene anarchism in … Read more
Accurate data but a suspicious interpretation Is population growth one of the time bombs that threaten the planet? No, says Marie Degrémont in La Recherche. “The states with the highest fertility are also those with the lowest per capita CO2 emission rate.” But I have a hard time finding coherence in Mary’s projections. India and … Read more
When semantics traps meaning The characteristic of philosophy is to take into account all the dimensions of human discernment. Being moved is part of it in the same way as reasoning. Contemporary philosophers are therefore moved without hesitation in the face of animal suffering. But in doing so, don’t they contradict the reason? Philosophers of … Read more