Chapter 1: Humanity's Perceived Anomaly

In a world where religious myths have largely faded and biological sciences reveal our evolutionary ties to other animals, we often pride ourselves on the belief that humanity stands apart in the cosmos. We tend to think of ourselves as the only beings deserving of existence, while the rest of nature is merely a resource for our technological advancements.

Although few of us consciously entertain grand thoughts of usurping divine authority, our notion of progress is inherently centered on human interests. We don't literally believe the universe revolves around us, yet we aim to reshape the wilderness to fit our needs, envisioning an endless Anthropocene. This scenario reflects our secular ideals.

But is this assumption truly viable? In what ways is humanity genuinely unique? When we consider “progress,” particularly how we modify our environment with artificial extensions of our consciousness, could this not simply be a sophisticated version of what other species do to adapt and thrive? Are not all life forms striving to impose their will on an indifferent nature?

In fact, every entity in the universe, from atoms to galaxies, exhibits its own uniqueness, merely by existing and behaving according to its nature. Just as rocks cannot dance, humans cannot act outside their own identity. So, what makes humanity's actions anomalous? If we are indeed peculiar, it raises the question of whether everything else is also anomalous, thus rendering the term meaningless.

Jean-Paul Sartre once argued that our freedom distinguishes us, perhaps overstating our autonomy as a complete break from causal influences. Yet, even our limited freedom, combined with our consciousness and creativity, suggests that humanity is exceedingly rare. However, if every entity is defined by its limitations, isn't that uniqueness rather trivial?

The diversity in the universe complicates this notion. When we consider an individual's life journey—from childhood to old age—we perceive them as the same person despite numerous transformations. This continuity is crucial; earlier experiences shape later ones, and legally, individuals can be held accountable for their past actions, regardless of their current state.

Yet, this individualism can lead to moral quandaries. For instance, if a young person commits a crime and is only held accountable decades later, is it fair to judge them based on their past when they have changed significantly? Similarly, if a former soldier commits atrocities in youth but is tried as an elderly man, does it make sense to hold them responsible for actions they may no longer embody?

Nature itself has evolved in stages that are often unrecognizable from one another, just as the early universe bore no resemblance to the star-filled cosmos we see today. The universe's development reflects a series of transformations, each giving rise to new forms and varieties, suggesting that there are many natural orders rather than one cohesive narrative.

We often speak of a unified “nature” out of a hope that we can comprehend the cosmos under a single theoretical framework. While many mysteries have been elucidated, significant discontinuities persist, such as black holes and dark matter. Would a comprehensive scientific theory erase these discontinuities? Even if nature is fundamentally unified, there would still be emergent properties and unique phenomena that require distinct explanations.

The crux of the matter is that what binds all natural entities is their capacity for transformative creativity. Nature generates new systems by utilizing existing ones. This notion of transformation is relevant to our supposed anomaly, as humanity possesses the ability to conceptualize and manipulate these natural patterns. We harbor ambitions to reshape the biosphere and create a technosphere, aiming for civilizations that prioritize human existence over all else.

This ambition, while still largely a fantasy, highlights our anti-natural tendencies. While we have made significant strides in altering our planet, the cosmos remains largely beyond our reach. Nature's immense forces, such as supernovae, have far greater impacts on the universe than human endeavors. Our aspirations to control nature appear hubristic, if not delusional.

Yet, the very imagination that allows science fiction writers to envision a future where intelligent life colonizes space underscores the anomaly of personhood. Natural events, like supernovae, lack the capacity for self-reflection or the potential to understand their place in the cosmos, while humans uniquely position themselves in opposition to non-human entities. This ambition and self-perception form the core of our anomaly. Nature continuously reshapes itself, but in creating intelligent beings, it may have given rise to agents capable of extending this creative destruction to unprecedented levels.

Thus, the uniqueness of personhood may not just be an extension of natural specialness, but rather a significant departure from it.

Chapter 2: The Role of the Supernatural in Understanding Nature

The universe's complex interplay raises questions about the supernatural and its influence on the natural world.

In the video, "Supernatural, Part 2: A Force of Nature," we explore how the supernatural intersects with the natural world and the implications of this relationship.

The exploration of how the supernatural realm interacts with the natural environment continues with our next video.

In "Twilight Zone - How Does The Supernatural Realm Impact the Natural?" we delve into the effects of the supernatural on our understanding of nature and existence.

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash