released 1/7/2025
In this November 2024 lecture, Christopher Blum argues that scientists need to regain a full appreciation of nature’s intelligibility, as they are apt to lose sight of reality due to the reductionism produced by their theories. As Aristotle taught, those who choose to attend carefully to the sensible features of natural bodies — who encounter them experientially and not just experimentally — are the ones who truly know. Blum encourages his listeners to consider the parts from the perspective of the whole, to recognize that living beings have natures, and to allow themselves to be measured by nature, rather than the other way around. This would reorient us away from scientific hubris and toward being at home in nature.
This lecture is provided courtesy of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute.
31 minutes
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