Principle of the Evolution of Things

Author: Zi Fei Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Philosophy seems to always be in a dilemma. In the early history of thought, philosophy tended to deny the sensory through sensory intuition and representation; now, philosophy tends to inquire into the rational through rational science and logical essence. This makes philosophy inevitably fall into an awkward situation: it first demolishes the foundation on which it stands, only to then claim that it is perhaps the only field that is truly grounded. However, looking back, isn't the frontier of contemporary science, such as particle physics, a continuation of the philosophical idea of "atomism" proposed by Leucippus and Democritus over two thousand years ago? In other words, as the product of the inheritance of philosophical thought, doesn't the concept of science itself follow a similar path of development? Moreover, if the human reality of existence derived from reason had not caused us trouble, or if the logical extension sequence derived from science had not raised doubts for us, how could philosophy possibly arise out of thin air? Therefore, it is meaningless to dismiss metaphysics outright. On the contrary, the current scientific process is increasingly showing a tendency to transcend the concrete and become more speculative, which is very worthy of attention from the intellectual community.