By Alex Espinoza Verdejo – Chile

Philosophy addresses fundamental problems such as the origin and destiny of the universe, the emergence of conscious life, and the ultimate constituents of matter. These problems, while not necessarily hierarchically ordered, have from their inception belonged exclusively to philosophical inquiry. When optimal knowledge—namely, understanding—has not yet been achieved, investigation remains speculative and philosophical in nature. It is possible to describe and explain without truly understanding.

The sciences have taken the first two steps: description and explanation.

1. Cosmology has successfully described and explained the order of the universe through persuasive theories; however, it has not ultimately achieved an understanding of its origin or archē, as the Greek thinkers termed it.

2. The complexity of living beings inhabiting our planet has led biology to regard the human species as uniquely significant, insofar as it is capable of self-reflection. Plants exhibit forms of memory—raising the question of whether a natural semiotics exists.

3. Physical science informs us that matter can be transformed into energy, and quantum mechanics is able to probabilistically predict the position of microscopic particles, even while challenging essential rational principles such as identity: a particle may exist in two places simultaneously.

The sciences, primarily concerned with description and explanation, have provided what may be called Aristotelian answers—those related to material, efficient, and formal causes governing phenomena. Yet they have largely neglected the most fundamental cause: the ultimate cause of phenomena, the profound “why” underlying reality. This domain remains properly philosophical.

– English Magazine