Natural philosophy

Author: Chen Qirong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Natural philosophy is a philosophical theory that reflects on "nature." This book interprets natural philosophy as an interdisciplinary science that permeates between natural science and metaphysics, presenting a new perspective. It showcases the theoretical framework of contemporary natural philosophy through the reconstructed theories of natural ontology, natural evolutionism, natural humanization, and natural value theory.
Chapter 1, through a review and reflection on the history of natural philosophy, reveals the close ties between natural philosophy, metaphysics, and natural science, discussing its status in philosophical science and natural science, as well as its significant theoretical and practical value.
Chapter 2, by examining the meaning of "existence," elaborates on the fundamental connotations of "nature," discussing the universal modes of natural existence and the hierarchical structure of natural systems.
Chapter 3, based on the new insights achieved by contemporary natural science, portrays the full picture of natural evolution, showcasing the branching and emergent patterns of evolution, and revealing the "inherent randomness" of deterministic systems.
Chapter 4, discusses the irreversibility and directionality of natural evolution, uncovering the self-organizing mechanisms of evolution, and explaining the "multiverse" theory and its implications.
Chapter 5, starting from the objective relationship between humans and nature, discusses human cognition and transformation of nature, i.e., natural humanization, as well as the alienation of nature that occurs as part of the same process. It elaborates on the ecological worldview of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature and the new concept of sustainable development.
Chapter 6, based on defining the concept of broad value, discusses the instrumental and intrinsic values of nature, as well as the natural rights closely linked to natural value.
Afterword, through an examination of the history of philosophy of science, it reveals the essential connection between the philosophy of science and natural philosophy, proposing the idea of integrating the study of the philosophy of science with the exploration of natural philosophy.