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Seeds is not an anthology of what great thinkers said about our reality, or yet another treatise. It is meant to present a viewpoint, outline a framework, proven and speculative, empirical and philosophical, hard and soft, in the midst of the known theories on human nature and behavior, in search of soils where it might one day germinate. Seeds is an attempt to view the phenomena of life on Earth and all that is accessible through science from as early a starting point as is empirically imaginable. This idea of a new framework was first introduced as a section in my book Winter Letters (2005). Many readers responded to Winter Letters, providing useful feedback – encouragement and rejection – that led to more research. I have thereafter reread books that I view as constructive, not least when they pose challenges to parts of Seeds. As a result, I am re-proposing Seeds in an easier-to-follow package intending to continue and expand the dialogs. To the authors of these works (some of them are long dead, but I regard them as friends nevertheless), as well as the readers who have responded to Winter Letters, I am wholeheartedly grateful for your help. The goal of understanding the reality underlying human nature and behavior is as old as the human species and continues to be a fascinating topic. But that reality has remained elusive through the ages, mainly due to the limited knowledge we have about this world’s faraway past. In fact, most thinkers and leaders through the past three millennia – competitors in a race to deliver the best explanation for what we don’t know – speculated that our distant past involves guiding ends, ontological discontinuities, or magic. That had many immediate constructive consequences. Unwittingly, they also have placed “masks” upon many aspects of our reality. In Seeds, a new framework either throws a different light on or challenges current worldviews; it goes deeper into the faraway past, supports one common foundation to all that exists, and is open-ended. It should trigger conversations, multidisciplinary dissertations, or research projects regarding our understanding of reality. Plowing has begun. We can sow the seeds. Roll up your sleeves and walk slowly. Growing will take a while. Let’s see what comes up, select and weed, replant elsewhere, if necessary. But, with the help of many minds, the harvest may surprise us. |
