When a Difference of Kind Becomes a Difference of Degree

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"Man is a part of nature but he is not merely a part of nature. He knows that he is such, and therefore he is more than a mere part." D. G. Ritchie, "On the Rationalist of History"

Nature-become-self-aware is different enough from nature-lacking-self-awareness that we have undergone a phase shift. Ice is not just chillier water, and humans are not just smart monkeys.

Comments

  1. Ken B3:07 PM

    Indeed. We are jumped-up smart monkeys.

    ReplyDelete

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