Our Perceptions of Purpose in Nature :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Our Perceptions of Purpose in NatureIt will be objected that the account book deals too overmuch with mere appearances, with the surface of things, and fails to engage and reveal the patterns of unifying(a) relationships which form the unbent underlying reality of existence. Here I essential confess that I know nothing whatever about true underlying reality, having never met any..for my own part I am successful enough with surfaces- in fact they alone seem to be of much importance. -Edward Abbey, Desert SolitaireThe primary coil distinction between humans and the symmetry of the natural world is our sense of consciousness and self-consciousness. We hurt very disparate perceptions and filters than any other organism on the planet. Language, for ideal, enables story tellers to communicate and find their surroundings. However, there ar limitations to relying on language as a primary tool for both internal and impertinent dialogue- the verbal definition of things hatful oft en differ vastly from how they actually are. Words have heathen connotations and if the story teller is not careful, a import or significance that he did not intend will be assigned to the subject. as dangerous is the instance where a story teller actively searches for meaning in the natural world and uses language to clarify and articulate it. The grow of self-consciousness go as far back as the demarcation of humankind. Choice, morality, altruism, and a sense of purpose do not exist in a vacuum, they are as much the products of an evolutionary process as our physiological features. Until approximately 10,000 years ago, the only organisms to exist could be classify as model builders, meaning they are able to anticipate external change but do not have language or a sense of self. The Game of Life is a good example of the factors which determine the behavior of model builders, and nature in general. There are certain biological constants which limit the possible outcomes, but there is, in fact, no purpose or intentionality to the patterns which emerge. Edward Abbey explains this phenomenon in his novel Desert Solitaire- I am not attributing human motives to my snake and bird acquaintances. I name that when and where they serve purposes of mine they do so for beautifully selfish reasons of their own. (25) twaddle tellers, on the other hand, though part of nature as well, have much more complex factors to guide their actions- including emotions, consciousness, and language.