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Dust of Wisdom: Beyond Method and Arts

When Charles Darwin wrote 'The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection", the theory of evolution was a landmark achievement in the history of ideas. It's irrefutable fact to say that his conclusion was not a novel account of evolution; nevertheless, the method and sources which he gathered through his adventurous voyage of the Beagle was remarkable for many reasons. Charles Darwin was deeply influenced by the work of Malthus and his theory of population. Malthus was also quite evolutionary in the development of his thesis regarding population growth and its relationship with material resources. Darwin was also invigoratingly impressed with the work of Townsend's "A Dissertation on Poor Laws". These works were progressing towards the comprehensive account of the evolutionary theory regarding the origin and growth of all the creatures; living and non-living things, here on Earth. In Greek civilization, there was a thinker known as Anaximander, who hypothesized that humans evolved from fish. According to him, "Man originated from some other kind of animal, such as fish, since man needs a long period of nurture and could not have survived if he had always been what he is now". Democritus thought that the atom is the the basic particle of the World. 

In the period of European Enlightenment, Newtonian mechanical world discarded the Aristotle's account of teleological worldview of cosmology, and became the reality of Cosmic Science. Similarly, natural philosophers like Parmenides, Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, Pericles, Pythagoras, Empedocles, Xenophanes, etc., had immense contribution in the history of ideas before Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle established the philosophical foundation of ethics, politics, logic, aesthetics, and epistemology. These thoughts were, of course, speculative; without having any basis or method to express so. Everything couldn't have said or written without its proof. In fact, paintings, literatures, poetry do offer wisdom but these mediums are not the prisoners of methods. Paul Feyerabend in his seminal work, Against Method, criticized the methodological rigours of scientists, thinkers, and authors. The Critical School of Frankfurt became the leading voice in rejecting the footnote based prose writings. One of my teachers used to say that we, in the name of science, spend most of the time finding sources than appreciating something worthy is passing through these pages. Over the years, peer reviewed culture has blocked many works to find its place in main discourse. But that was not the case with Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, or Rousseau. Even Darwin had big leap of imagination. Evidences were merely a support element in what he had to say. 

Michel Foucault in his Magnum opus, "The Archeology of knowledge", finds knowledge not as an objective reality, but he traces it out in formative practices; for the guiding rules are not based upon the overcoming inhibitions to find the truth; as if, everyone is capable to know the obscured truth, nevertheless, the knowledge is blocked due to internal inhibitions and limitations, and a great mind like Newton cleanse the blind-spot to discover what nature was expressing to in their languages and patterns! Even scientific knowledge, as per Michel Foucault, is not developed with this method of discovery; rather it is a product of formative practices; just like an artist brushes the reality; some notions are obscured, and other notions are expressed, and a grid of knowledge is established. Antonio Gramsci in his "Prison Notebooks" lays out the foundation of discovering alternative histories. He writes, " The starting-point of critical elaboration is the consciousness of what one really is, and is knowing thyself as a product of the historical processes to date, which has deposited in you an infinity of traces, without leaving an inventory". He thought that history provides incomplete traces; it's not a full inventory. One, who is imaginative enough, may be able to connect the dots, to find a discourse, which was hidden under the progress of history. However, question remains, if knowledge is just like a painting or piece of art, then will they serve any purpose for progressive wisdom? The point of reference is not to disbelieve everything cynically; similarly, not to believe everything. Wisdom lies before an open mind and welcoming senses. The ability to listen, think, and reflect may be used to find some connecting lines; not necessarily the outcome will be the ultimate truth. It may be refutable as any other hypotheses; but journey would be interesting and invigorating one. People are, often, discouraged, if people around them are disinterested in reading his or her works. But that should not be the case; to find the scattered dusts of wisdom is far worthy stuff than inattentive slumbering.

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