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Kairos
Humanity needs a new scientific revolution, and we need it now. The world is not a machine, not a clockwork, not a computer. It is not even like a machine, like a clockwork, like a computer. Nowhere near; and yet we treat it so. We strive to predict and control. In a world that cannot be predicted or controlled. In trying, we delude ourselves: we lose our grip on reality. No doubt, the first scientific revolution has served us well. It ushered in the modern world, with all its benefits, and comforts. We almost believe that we live in the best of times. Yet humanity finds itself on a precipice — on the brink of global disaster. Numerous emergencies are coalescing into an emerging metacrisis. We have reached a kairos: a critical turning point, a moment of opportunity. It is time to acknowledge the role of modern science in all this. The worldview it has brought with it is at the root of all our trouble. Science has made us believe that the world is a machine. We cannot turn back the clock — move forward we must. The new revolution will not undo or replace modern science. We always embrace anticipation, never reaction. We shall build a new science for a world that is not a machine. A science built on true complexity, a wiser science that knows its limits. A science more rigorous than the modern one, free of woo and mysticism. |
Sources
Our current loss of grip, our kairos, is beautifully described in John Vervaeke’s magisterial lecture series “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis.” For those who do not have 50 hours to spare, there is a condensed summary of the content presented in the lectures through a series of podcast interviews with John Vervaeke by Jim Rutt (part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
For an interesting take on the current metacrisis, I highly recommend Jonathan Rowson’s essay “Tasting the Pickle,” which forms part of a book called “Dispatches from a Time Between Worlds,” featuring a diverse range of takes on metamodernism and its meaning.
Our current loss of grip, our kairos, is beautifully described in John Vervaeke’s magisterial lecture series “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis.” For those who do not have 50 hours to spare, there is a condensed summary of the content presented in the lectures through a series of podcast interviews with John Vervaeke by Jim Rutt (part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
For an interesting take on the current metacrisis, I highly recommend Jonathan Rowson’s essay “Tasting the Pickle,” which forms part of a book called “Dispatches from a Time Between Worlds,” featuring a diverse range of takes on metamodernism and its meaning.
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The authors acknowledge funding from the John Templeton Foundation (Project ID: 62581), and would like to thank the co-leader of the project, Prof. Tarja Knuuttila, and the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna for hosting the project of which this book is a central part.
Disclaimer: everything we write and present here is our own responsibility. All mistakes are ours, and not the funders’ or our hosts’ and collaborators'.
Disclaimer: everything we write and present here is our own responsibility. All mistakes are ours, and not the funders’ or our hosts’ and collaborators'.
