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Leaving Us to Wonder SUNY series in Philosophy and Biology David Edward Shaner, Editor Leaving Us to Wonder An Essay on the Questions Science Can’t Ask Linda Wiener and Ramsey Eric Ramsey STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2005 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. Cover photo courtesy of the National Gallery Picture Library For information, address the State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production by Diane Ganeles Marketing by Anne M. Valentine Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wiener, Linda, 1957– Leaving us to wonder : an essay on the questions science can’t ask / Linda Wiener and Ramsey Eric Ramsey. p. cm. — (SUNY series in philosophy and biology) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-7914-6313-3 (alk. paper) —ISBN 0-7914-6314-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Philosophy and science. I. Ramsey, Ramsey Eric, 1960– II. Title. III. Series. B67.W54 2005 501—dc22 2004048161 10987654321 1 Contents Preface vii Chapter One: A Place to Begin 1 Curiosity and Wonder 1 A Place to Begin 3 Mistaking the Abstract for the Concrete 5 Today’s Popular Science 10 The Spirit of Socrates 17 Chapter Two: The Persistence of a Question 21 Some Background Questions 21 Kant and the Enlightenment 26 The Emergence of Evolutionary Theory 30 The Promotion of Human Sociobiology 33 Chapter Three: What Darwin and Nietzsche Saw 45 Some Background on Darwin and Nietzsche 45 Darwin’s Descent of Man: The Evolution of Morality 50 Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals: The Evolution of (A Different) Morality 56 Nietzsche’s Differences with Darwin 70 Chapter Four: Provoking Thought 77 Heidegger and the Distinction between Ways of Thinking 78 Merleau-Ponty and the Importance of Embodied Experience 87 vi Leaving Us to Wonder Chapter Five: The Limits of Science and the Danger of Scientism: Drawing Out the Consequences for Thinking 101 Faces that Launched a Thousand Web Site Hits 105 A More Serious Concern 108 Chapter Six: Leaving Us to Wonder 117 The Difficulty Begins Here 117 Thinking Beyond and Otherwise 120 Turning to the Public Sphere 122 Desire for Public Dialogue 133 Leaving Us to Wonder 137 Notes 141 Bibliography 153 Index 161 1 Preface This all began before we met, of course. One of us trained in biology and the other in philosophy. It is likely if we were both to have followed the seductions of our initial studies and trainings, then we would in all likelihood have been enemies in today’s so- called science wars. As it stands we both set out on paths diverging from those original beginnings and today we share a similar set of concerns that make us allies. Granted, in this case the allying is made possible in large part by the biologist becoming a philoso- pher as well. Be that as it may, this is not a joining of forces in favor of one camp or the other. Since our first meeting under the auspices of the Ometeca Institute—which seeks to bring together those persons practicing in the sciences and the humanities—we have attempted to create a philosophical way of life together. That is to say, by cultivating friendship through meditating on questions of living well in an epoch whose major manner of being is techno-scientific, together we have fostered an ongoing dialogue. We are not so bold as to think that our friendship nor this collaboration will bring anything like a peace settlement to the science wars, yet we are hopeful that the practice of dialogue rather than mere polemics might be a real, even if small, contri- bution to something worth pursuing. Along with Ometeca’s founding members and its director Dr. Rafael Català, others interested in such collaborations have made opportunities for us to present aspects of our work to other interested persons. A presentation at Harvard University’s Depart- ment of Botany was made possible by Peter Stephens. The event was attended by a number of Harvard biologists and their students. According to their reports, both groups found the work novel and engaging. Perhaps most important, the younger scientists in attendance were pleased that many of their persisting vii viii Preface questions (but ones left unaddressed by their scientific training) found expression in our work. Many of these students believed our approaches to the questions allowed them to pursue rather than ignore their fundamental concerns. Yael Lubin of Ben Gurion University, Israel arranged for an important discussion of the work. As with the other scientific venues, this event was attended by members of the scientific com- munity and others working at Ben Gurion’s field station in Sde Boqer. Again many found the debate as we put it forward a significant and cogent challenge to mainstream thinking about science, determinism, and public life. In a similar vein, few of the scientists working in the Genetic Research Group at Los Alamos National Laboratories came with any sympathies for our position. Nonetheless, in the lengthy discussion that followed many found themselves dealing with famil- iar topics in new ways because of the position we advanced. It is safe to say no minds were changed on this day, but habitual ways of understanding the issues where indeed challenged. Moreover, we learned much from having to address their many concerns. Philosophers Martin Beck-Matustik and Patricia Huntington made possible a public reading of a version of our final chapter at the Center For Theoretical Study, Prague, Czech Republic. The Center’s working group of scientists and philosophers offered us many fine insights concerning issues fundamental to the work. We remain grateful for this wonderful opportunity and for the gener- ous insights offered to us by all those in attendance. We thank William Homestead whose reading, late in the process, corrected mistakes and forced clarifications of parts of the position that otherwise would have remained obscure. His fine suggestions and questions made for a better text despite what faults might remain. Cynthia Gaffney also gave a valuable reading late in the process. In addition, Robert W. Jones offered his expertise concerning the writing and presentation of this project in its many stages and with respect to its various audiences. At various stages of the work a number of undergraduates at Arizona State University, West Campus assisted in the preparation of the manuscript: Jenni- fer Anderson, Barbara Giles, Carol Marshall, Sohinee Roy, and Daniel Smith. We also recognize the administrative support of Dawn Poh. We are thankful for the good work of Liz Marini who prepared the bibliography and the index. In securing the cover art, Charles Lee Mudd’s expertise was invaluable. Preface ix The project has benefited immensely from the flawless guid- ance of Jane Bunker, our editor at SUNY Press. Her belief in this project breathed new life into it when doubts about it hung heavy in the air. In addition to Ms. Bunker’s support, the production of the text was overseen by Diane Ganeles with patience and care. RER would like to acknowledge his gratitude to and for the friendship of Heidi Bostic, Richard Dienst, and Stephen Pluhacek who make a cell of resistance a living reality. Furthermore, he knows that this work would not have been possible without Diane Gruber whose being-there-with is a beautiful sharing of everything that matters. The vastness of her contributions cannot be calculated.