Beyond Descartes and Newton: Recovering life and humanity

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Science
• Cognitive Science
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Phenomenology traditionally rejects naturalism, creating a divide with cognitive science.
• Cartesian dualism separates mind (res cogitans) and matter (res extensa), influencing scientific thought.
• Mainstream science struggles to fully incorporate consciousness and subjective experience, often overlooking the 'human' element.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge traditional phenomenology and cognitive science by naturalizing phenomenology.
• To overcome the limitations of Cartesian dualism within scientific frameworks.
• To propose a new explanatory framework for evolution that accounts for emergent functions and the Adjacent Possible.

Main Methods:

• Reinterpreting phenomenology through a naturalistic lens.
• Analyzing the historical impact of Cartesian dualism on science, particularly physics and biology.
• Developing a post-entailing law framework for evolutionary processes.

Main Results:

• Naturalized phenomenology offers a viable challenge to Cartesian dualism.
• The dream of a complete, law-based theory of evolution is untenable due to emergent, unpredictable functions.
• A new framework describes evolution as a persistent becoming, driven by actuals creating enabling constraints and Adjacent Possible opportunities.

Conclusions:

• Naturalized phenomenology successfully bridges the gap between subjective experience and scientific inquiry.
• Evolutionary processes are not governed by prestatable, entailing laws but by emergent functional possibilities.
• Understanding 'function' and 'functional closure' is crucial for comprehending organismal life and evolutionary dynamics.