Get to it and you will crack the mystery of existence, from simple to complex, from electrons to love.Īccording to Wilson, the Ionian Enchantment equates science with a religious quest. The essential point is that deep below the chaos we perceive out there, there is an underlying unified structure. The meaning of this claim is more metaphysical than physical, of course. Being mainly interested in the material aspect of reality, Thales suggested that all matter is but water. The starting point, as Wilson argued in Consilience, is what Harvard historian of science Gerald Holton called "The Ionian Enchantment." This notion - that behind nature's manifest diversity there is a simple, unified explanation - can be traced back to the pre-Socratic Thales of Miletus. (And that Wilson's prose is truly inspired and engaging, which is definitely the case.) The stakes are high, and the fact that The Meaning of Human Existence was shortlisted for the National Book Award means that people are paying attention. If we are successful, claims Wilson, we should arrive at a deeply transformative understanding of the meaning of our existence. In his recent book, The Meaning of Human Existence, the celebrated evolutionary biologist, entomologist and essayist Edward Wilson sets off to chart a possible path toward the unification of the sciences and the humanities - taking off from his 1998 book Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge.
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