Seeking Holism in the Anthropocene
A Philosophical Quest
Keywords:
Holism, Anthropocentrism, Self, Mind, Consciousness, Autopoiesis and Learning, Nature, Feelings thoughts and actionsAbstract
The epidemic of lifestyle diseases and mortality keep growing. From the culmination of multiple physical (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes, and disorders related to inactivity), mental (e.g., depression, anxiety and suicides), and social epidemics (e.g., loneliness, racism, and gun violence), a syndemic has emerged in which one disorder increases risk of experiencing other disorders. The irony of these disorders is that they are a product of ways of living that individuals know will make them sick and likely kill them but, nonetheless continue to participate in them. It is the premise of this article that diseased ways of living are a philosophical problem that defy holism throughout Nature. Redefining Newton's vis insita, it is argued that Nature's holism begins with the innate force of matter and its ability to resist disintegration by opposing external forces and endeavoring to establish holistic relationships with other matter. Consciousness, learning, and knowledge are proposed to be phenomena of holism throughout Nature and are guided by Nature's holistic philosophy of "we are therefore I am." In contrast to Nature's holism, the anthropocentric philosophy promotes the divisiveness underlying the syndemic of modern times. In conclusion, it is argued that a holistic philosophy is needed to stop the physical, mental, and social syndemic of divisiveness, get humanity off the anthropocentric path of extinction, and restore individual, social, and ecological integrity to the whole of humanity.
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