2 Philosophy and Man's Responsibility for Nature
11
Almost whatever we imagine we can realize. Every dream of Jules Verne and furthermore other dreams of mankind have been realized. The flight to the moon is no longer
a utopia, the voyage around the earth does not take 80 days but less than 24 h and
nature is no longer man's enemy but man's slave. We are the children of Bacon and
Descartes and our epoche is characterized both by the realization of utopia and by the
end of utopia. In this respect dreams of mankind have become true while we are on the
other hand missing imagination and creativity to cope with the dark sides of these
dreams; the list of our problems is long: the hole in the ozone layer, the waldsterben, the
endangered species of plants and of animals and so on.
2.3
Philosophy's Responsibility
If we consider the previous thoughts, we cannot deny that the actual development of
society, technology and sience has been initiated by philosophy. By the same token one
could establish the hypothesis that without occidental philosophy we would not be confronted with the greatest danger in the history of mankind: the imminent collapse of
the earth's ecosystem, or the ecological crisis.
In this situation we also have to ask whether it is rational to have confidence once
again in philosophy. Is it an illusion to expect any useful idea from philosophy? Philosophy has a rich tradition of asking questions related to the meaning of human acts.
It is in this way that philosophy may contribute to the understanding of our acts and to
their integration into a rational connection between the ego and the other, between the
individual and the community. This competence philosophy has developed in the course
of the past two and a half millenia. Beginning with Aristotle the ethics ask for the conditions of a good social existence. Since then ethics have been looking for rules which
orientate the human relationships to criteria other than physical, intellectual or political power.
It took over two millennia for philosophical knowledge to change the field of society
and politics. The most famous documents of this success are the new constitutions of
the USA (1787) and of the French Republic (1789). There was established a political
foundation for modern society. Today nearly all states of the world have accepted the
thoughts of equality and of human rights. This fact is quite important when you see
that political practise often works against theoretical achievements. This does not reduce the importance of the theory manifested in those two constitutions: it is the basis
of modern law that gives people the chance to appeal.
Now, we have to ask ourselves whether it is a realistic hope that philosophy can change
the relation between man and nature in the same way as it did among men in the past.
Or, is it possible to convert the relationship of man and nature according to the analogy
of the relationship among men, which is characterized by an equal and non-hierarchical situ
Nature as an equal partner, as a friend or a brother of man, is an old picture in the
mystification of nature. Even today you can find parts of this mystification in two fields:
in the old archaic societies and in numerous religions. In traditional societies, in the
South Seas for example, there is the idea that it is possible for man to communicate
11
Almost whatever we imagine we can realize. Every dream of Jules Verne and furthermore other dreams of mankind have been realized. The flight to the moon is no longer
a utopia, the voyage around the earth does not take 80 days but less than 24 h and
nature is no longer man's enemy but man's slave. We are the children of Bacon and
Descartes and our epoche is characterized both by the realization of utopia and by the
end of utopia. In this respect dreams of mankind have become true while we are on the
other hand missing imagination and creativity to cope with the dark sides of these
dreams; the list of our problems is long: the hole in the ozone layer, the waldsterben, the
endangered species of plants and of animals and so on.
2.3
Philosophy's Responsibility
If we consider the previous thoughts, we cannot deny that the actual development of
society, technology and sience has been initiated by philosophy. By the same token one
could establish the hypothesis that without occidental philosophy we would not be confronted with the greatest danger in the history of mankind: the imminent collapse of
the earth's ecosystem, or the ecological crisis.
In this situation we also have to ask whether it is rational to have confidence once
again in philosophy. Is it an illusion to expect any useful idea from philosophy? Philosophy has a rich tradition of asking questions related to the meaning of human acts.
It is in this way that philosophy may contribute to the understanding of our acts and to
their integration into a rational connection between the ego and the other, between the
individual and the community. This competence philosophy has developed in the course
of the past two and a half millenia. Beginning with Aristotle the ethics ask for the conditions of a good social existence. Since then ethics have been looking for rules which
orientate the human relationships to criteria other than physical, intellectual or political power.
It took over two millennia for philosophical knowledge to change the field of society
and politics. The most famous documents of this success are the new constitutions of
the USA (1787) and of the French Republic (1789). There was established a political
foundation for modern society. Today nearly all states of the world have accepted the
thoughts of equality and of human rights. This fact is quite important when you see
that political practise often works against theoretical achievements. This does not reduce the importance of the theory manifested in those two constitutions: it is the basis
of modern law that gives people the chance to appeal.
Now, we have to ask ourselves whether it is a realistic hope that philosophy can change
the relation between man and nature in the same way as it did among men in the past.
Or, is it possible to convert the relationship of man and nature according to the analogy
of the relationship among men, which is characterized by an equal and non-hierarchical situ
Nature as an equal partner, as a friend or a brother of man, is an old picture in the
mystification of nature. Even today you can find parts of this mystification in two fields:
in the old archaic societies and in numerous religions. In traditional societies, in the
South Seas for example, there is the idea that it is possible for man to communicate