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by Neil Paul Cummins (Author)
What is the relationship between humans and their surroundings? In order to understand the nature of this relationship we need to take the evolutionary perspective; we need to see the universe as an evolving entity which for billions of years has been very gradually been bringing forth new arrangements, and we need to appreciate that humans are some of these arrangements. The author claims that we live in an epoch in which a violent clash exists. The interactions between humans and their surroundings typically lead to the belief that humans are radically different from their surroundings. Yet, human knowledge has advanced to the point which has revealed the evolutionary perspective. The belief that humans are radically different from their surroundings violently clashes with the belief that the entire universe is an evolving entity which very gradually brings forth new arrangements. The author explores three interrelated aspects of the relationship between humans and their surroundings. Firstly, he seeks to understand why the violent clash exists: Why do contemporary humans typically consider themselves to be radically different from their surroundings? This exploration entails a consideration of how the human perceptual apparatus works, why human perceptions are inevitably constrained, and how conceptions of their surroundings are formed within humans. Secondly, he considers the likelihood that humans could actually be very similar to their surroundings; this entails an exploration of various phenomena such as mind, consciousness, naturalness, awareness, the senses, perception and 'what-it-is-likeness'. Thirdly, he considers whether the human species has a special place in the evolutionary process. This book takes the reader on quite a journey, covering issues such as the limits of our knowledge concerning evolution, the problem of consciousness, directionality in evolution, the location of pain, the purpose of life, how many senses a typical human has, the nature of perception, environmental science, the phantom limb phenomenon, the cosmic significance of technology, planetary astrobiology, the philosophy of biology, human uniqueness, the question of what it means to be human, the nature of the universe, the question of what a mind is, panwhat-it-is-likeness, global warming, the nature of awareness, and the need for planetary geoengineering.
