Arts & Sciences

by Rebecca Bynum (January 2010)


In discussing the metaphysical, non-material aspects of existence, we may postulate that man has access to higher realms of mind than animals do, realms containing language and mathematics, which allow him a degree of freedom from the material, even from time itself. We may speculate as to whether man broke through into the higher realms of mind in a purely spontaneous fashion, or whether some event was an antecedent cause, but clearly what we are discussing is not simple animal-level consciousness, but consciousness of consciousness and that is one very real difference between man and animal. It is a difference that cannot be explained on a purely material level. How can matter be conscious of itself without the addition of mind and how can mind be conscious of itself without the addition of something even higher?

For most natural philosophers, the difference between man and animals seems to be purposefully blurred. It is simply assumed that the man is nothing more than an animal, and such differences as there are, are only a matter of degree. When forced to deal with something as basic as the value of art, many of these philosophers simply ignore it. Stephen Jay Gould, for example, explains art a by-product of evolution with no inherent evolutionary value. Denis Dutton takes issue with this in his excellent book, The Art Instinct. Dutton seeks to explain art as an important evolutionary adaptation in itself and succeeds rather well in arguing the case, at least for fiction, although in order to do so, he is forced to argue the point that the purpose of storytelling is to allow entry into the minds and experiences of others, something absolutely impossible for the animal mind to accomplish.

With his deep and wide knowledge art, literature and music, Dutton fully acknowledges the existence of beauty and love in human experience, though not necessarily as values with a separate existence in reality. The argument that man created mind, value and God in general seems quite settled now that the dogma of natural philosophy has come to dominate philosophy as a whole. Yet one must keep coming back to the question of what happened during the Pleistocene to turn a highly intelligent, tool-using animal into a being conscious of his consciousness, with the ability to reflect on his life and deeds and possessed of the added ability to discern truth from falsehood, goodness from evil, and beauty from ugliness? The entire history of man is one of fleeing the “red in tooth and claw” animal world and of protecting himself from its brutality by adding layer upon layer of culture.  Culture is the creation of imagination. Animals cannot create culture because they cannot enter into the same levels of mind human beings do in order to perform feats of imagination.

In this respect, language must certainly be considered essential to the human condition, and again we may speculate that, metaphysically, language exists within that higher realm of mind which impinges on the realm of value (goodness, truth and beauty). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.


[1] The Bible, John 1:1, New International version


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Rebecca Bynum contributes regularly to The Iconoclast, our Community Blog. Click here to see all her contributions, on which comments are welcome.