Descartes has a lot to answer for, indeed. Even though the reductionistic paradigm he spearheaded is less fashionable than in the not-so-distant past, I think that we (I) can barely even begin to comprehend the degree to which he has influenced how we in the West view the world.
Last semester we read an article for our tai ji and qi gong class on the history and basic principles of Neijing classical acupuncture by Ed Neal. He reviewed four primary differences between classical and modern scientific theory. One of the major differences he cited was the study of nature’s patterns versus its parts. “In classical sciences, the world of observable form is believed to result from intangible patterns of space/time rhythm. Because these underlying patterns are seen to antecede and give rise to the world of observable forms, traditional science prioritizes the study of these basic rhythms and patterns. From this viewpoint, the inherent scientific value in the manifest phenomena of nature lies in their ability to convey deeper insights into the intangible patterns of space/time motion that precede them. In contrast, modern scientific inquiry approaches the world through detailed investigations into the nature of forms and the material sub-structures of forms. Form and its component parts are examined and described with ever increasing levels of detail and differentiation, while the energetic patterns that generate them are mostly unrecognized.” How very true. And, I think, it started in large part with Descartes.
Certainly this approach of partitioning everything into smaller and smaller bits makes each bit easier to examine and 'study' and (think we) comprehend, but the sense of control this sort of examination and study affords us is misleading - we are complex systems existing as part of even more complex systems. As much as we would like to 'hold something constant' or 'control for' other factors, nothing is constant but change. The units or packages we cut things into are not really so tidy.
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