2007-06-20
Art, Science & Technology. Part II: Epistemes
In Part II I have traced the coevolution and coconstruction of Art, Science & Technology from the beginning of Western Civilization using changing mathematical epistemes. Beginning with Harmony in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds the episteme shifted to Perspective in the Renaissance then to Motion with the Scientific Revolution and finally to Probability with the second Scientific Revolution. From this review I draw two conclusions.
First, epistemes behave like the steps of Maslows Need Hierarchy. They are built one upon another through Time. Old epistemes do not die but rather become the substrate on which the new is built. In each case, however, there is a necessary change in instrumentation (tooled knowledge) to provide the numbers necessary for the new episteme to become established.
Second, epistemes other than mathematics are at play. Arguably the most important is the Natural Person. Another is religion. In the Ancient World, Man was the measure of all things. In the medieval period God became the measure then with the Renaissance first Man displaced God then God displaced Man during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.
With the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century, however, a new player entered the field the Machine.
This revolution was as much about Theology as Science. It required a great Anglican compromise that has arguably held almost until today. The geosphere of inanimate Matter/Energy is subject to the Laws of Nature which do not change due to divine or human intervention. These Laws can be learned (and then applied for human purpose) by experimentally and instrumentally forcing Nature to reveal Her Secrets. Using the resulting knowledge humanity in twenty-five generations has enframed and enabled the entire planet to serve its species-specific purposes.
The biosphere and noösphere of human thought, on the other hand, remain until now much more obscure involving more than Newtons when- then causality. With the discovery of the DNA helix, however, the compromise has arguably been shattered. Humanity can now imprint living Nature with human purpose. This includes, of course, humanity itself. To reach the Tree of Life, however, requires us to return to the Garden of Eden. It will be there that a new compromise between Science and Faith will be achieved.
This is the subject of the last part of this series of articles on Art, Science & Technology Part III: Return to the Garden (coming soon).
Download: Download: http://www.culturaleconomics.atfreeweb.com
Second, epistemes other than mathematics are at play. Arguably the most important is the Natural Person. Another is religion. In the Ancient World, Man was the measure of all things. In the medieval period God became the measure then with the Renaissance first Man displaced God then God displaced Man during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.
With the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century, however, a new player entered the field the Machine.
This revolution was as much about Theology as Science. It required a great Anglican compromise that has arguably held almost until today. The geosphere of inanimate Matter/Energy is subject to the Laws of Nature which do not change due to divine or human intervention. These Laws can be learned (and then applied for human purpose) by experimentally and instrumentally forcing Nature to reveal Her Secrets. Using the resulting knowledge humanity in twenty-five generations has enframed and enabled the entire planet to serve its species-specific purposes.
The biosphere and noösphere of human thought, on the other hand, remain until now much more obscure involving more than Newtons when- then causality. With the discovery of the DNA helix, however, the compromise has arguably been shattered. Humanity can now imprint living Nature with human purpose. This includes, of course, humanity itself. To reach the Tree of Life, however, requires us to return to the Garden of Eden. It will be there that a new compromise between Science and Faith will be achieved.
This is the subject of the last part of this series of articles on Art, Science & Technology Part III: Return to the Garden (coming soon).
Download: Download: http://www.culturaleconomics.atfreeweb.com
An article by Harry Hillman Chartrand, Cultural Economist, University of Saskatchewan
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