자연과학적 지식 탐구를 통한 인간성 함양의 가능성 탐색: 화이트헤드의 유기체철학을 중심으로

Abstract

This paper aims to address the question, "Can the cultivation of humanity be achieved through the exploration of natural scientific knowledge?" based on Whitehead's organic philosophy. It demonstrates that the investigation of natural scientific knowledge, viewed in the light of the concepts of actual entity and prehension found in Whitehead's organic philosophy, can contribute to the cultivation of humanity. This study examines the concepts of actual entity and prehension and, accordingly, elucidates the nature of exploring natural scientific knowledge. First, "actual entity" corresponds to the ultimate units of nature, and its essential characteristic is "prehension." The human pursuit of natural scientific knowledge involves the prehensive act of actual entity. Second, the prehensive act of actual entity pertains to experience, which possesses a vector character and is intrinsically connected to value. This implies that the investigation of natural scientific knowledge by the human as an actual entity involves not only a physical aspect but also a mental dimension, with various emotions and feelings inherent in the prehension of knowledge. Third, actual entity possesses vitality, and life seeks purposes through self-enjoyment within the process. Therefore, the prehensive act of actual entity itself becomes a self-fulfilling act with a purpose. In other words, the prehensive act of actual entity is ultimately capable of fostering humanity, which is the ultimate purpose of education. This interpretation of the paper can serve as theoretical evidence to refute the claim that the advancement of science and technology leads to the decline of humanity. The acquisition of natural scientific knowledge by humans is always accompanied by underlying emotional tones, and when these emotional tones are properly enjoyed, humanity can flourish. Thus, the proper acquisition of natural scientific knowledge involves not only acquiring facts about the physical world but also entering the moral world through inherent emotional tones, thereby leading to the cultivation of humanity, as confirmed through Whitehead's organic philosophy.