Our Destruction?
Our lives today are completely uprooted from nature. We feel alienated from plants and animals. In fact, both are the source of our life. Without them, we would be extinct.
On the contrary, our lives are even more unnatural. We come into contact with concrete and iron, but are disgusted by soil and trees. In fact, without land and trees, we will not be able to live.
We're not just getting further away from nature. We are destroying nature. We exploit natural resources without the control of conscience. We use energy, regardless of where it comes from.
We enjoy eating meat in a restaurant. However, we ignore the fact, that many animals are used and destroyed for their lives by the giant meat companies. As stated by Peter Singer, one of the leaders of animal ethics (animal ethics), the relationship between humans and animals is the same as the relationship between Hitler and the Jews in the decades 1933 to 1945 in Germany. In short, we carry out savage mass killings of millions of animals every day, to satisfy our lust for flesh and fleeting pleasures.
We destroy the forest, so that we can reap the economic benefits for a moment. With the destruction of the forest, many animals have lost their homes. They are also threatened with extinction. Almost every time, according to Singer, there is one type of animal that is extinct from the face of this earth, because it has lost its natural habitat. When forests and natural habitats for animals are destroyed, various disasters, from floods to climate change, occur all over the world.
Now, we destroy animals and plants. That is, we destroy nature itself. There is no plausible reason for this action. Everything is done not because we as humans need to do it, but because we are greedy and only fixated on the need for mere momentary pleasure.
However, how can our greed manifest so strongly, and subdue the entire universe? What makes us able to do it all quickly and systematically? This way of thinking based on greed is now manifest in science. The real form of science is the rapid development of technology, as we feel today.
Science and Ignorance
Many people think that science has saved the world. He has given us so many conveniences in life. He succeeded in developing drugs to fight various types of diseases. But what does it all mean, if millions of animals and plants fall victim to it, and destroy nature itself?
Do we as humans feel so important that our safety is more important than other animals and plants? Isn't it that by destroying animals and plants for mere momentary pleasures, we also, in the end, destroy ourselves? What, then, is the motivation for all these destructive actions? It is possible, as Heidegger argues, that man does not have evil will, but simply does not think.
He thinks in a very short period of time. He didn't want to see it through a different lens. It's not that he can't, but rather because of laziness of thinking that drives the creation of mass stupidity. People can be intellectually intelligent, but very stupid in their attitude.
The same thing happens a lot in science. People can be very intelligent in a particular field of science, but very stupid and savage in their attitude of life. What makes these intelligent people so stupid? The answer, in my opinion, lies in the basic way of thinking of science itself.
Since the time of Aristotle, science has divided nature into various groups. The main task of science is to understand, and understanding is understood narrowly as analyzing which means breaking things down into different groups. With this way of thinking, one easily loses the overall view of what one is studying. He can understand things through the parts, but is blind to the view as a whole.
Not surprisingly, a biologist can work with a company that wants to destroy the forest for more money. Not surprisingly, chemists can be bribed to conduct false research to deceive the masses. No wonder, food experts do not understand why the price of rice continues to rise every year. These are intelligent people who are at the same time stupid and blind.
Subject-Object
In science, nature is also seen as something separate and different from humans. Humans are like creatures who are able to distance themselves from nature and observe it objectively. This is what is called a subject-object view that is deeply rooted in the scientific way of thinking. If nature is the object and humans are the subject, then naturally, if humans control nature, and use it to fulfill their needs and desires.
In science, objects are things. Humans are subjects. Thus, humans are considered to have a higher value than objects, namely objects. In this case, nature, including animals and plants, is seen as objects that become the main study of science.
Nature is seen as raw material. It is ready to be taken and used to fulfill the unlimited needs and desires of humans. Obviously, in the end, nature will be destroyed, and humans will be destroyed with it. This is apparently what often escapes the consideration of natural destroyers.
Because nature is merely objects and objects, humans have the right to control it. One form of mastery is to think that humans have the right to experiment with nature. To make cosmetics, humans kill rabbits from a variety of other animals. To understand the structure of the brain, humans feel entitled to conduct experiments on monkeys and mice. To fulfill their curiosity, humans separate animals from their groups. To fulfill the need for entertainment, humans kidnap animals from their natural habitats to put them in zoos.
Why do we feel entitled to do that? Why do we feel entitled to test animals and plants solely for our needs? Its root is arrogance. This arrogance is rooted in the wrong view that humans are higher and more special than animals and plants. This view is also justified by superficially interpreted religious teachings. In philosophy, this kind of misguided and destructive view is also known as anthropocentrism, namely the view that humans are the center of the universe, and all creatures must serve their needs and desires.
When scientific thinking is simply applied, the result is the destruction of nature. This way of thinking wants to separate and manipulate everything that exists on this earth. He is willing to ruin everything in order to find a new way of reaping the benefits and momentary pleasures of the few.
The scientific way of thinking, which is praised by many, ironically, is the culprit behind the destruction of nature and the destruction of humanity itself. The most obvious evidence is nuclear weapons and biological weapons.
The use of those two weapons could instantly destroy everything in the blink of an eye. Both are the result of sophisticated and expensive scientific research. Both were very intelligent, but at the same time stupid and savage.
Challenging Science
The scientific way of thinking must be transcended. The way of thinking that separates and discriminates theoretically must stop. He is the ringleader of the wild technology that destroys nature, including animals, plants and humans themselves. If we continue to worship the scientific way of thinking without being critical, we are unconsciously partaking in the destruction of everything.
There are two alternative ways of thinking that can be considered. The first is the Gelassenheit way of thinking that Heidegger offers. This way of thinking wants to understand and let everything as it is, without manipulation for human interests and desires. Heidegger also calls it a metaphysical way of thinking.
The second is a way of thinking that is based on the Eastern philosophical tradition that developed in India and China. In this way of thinking, humans are seen as part of nature, and nature is also seen as part of humans. Both are one and the same. It cannot be separated.
The Eastern philosophical way of thinking is also not preoccupied with separating everything, as is the style of analysis in modern science. Instead, he wants to see everything as equal and one. When we are no longer different from nature and everything that exists, then we will arrive at the most natural state of ourselves, namely true peace of mind. Science and technology are not things that need to be worshiped and praised, but on the contrary, they need to be challenged and surpassed!!!
