Maturana points out that the reality of each living being is different because it is perceived according to the sensory processes of each organism.
Therefore, no living being can attain reality independent of its own organism, and therefore no one can claim to attain absolute truth.
organism
We’ve always known that in science, absolute truth is unattainable: Santiago Theory provides its rationale, undermining one of the most important assumptions of modern science: objectivity.
“Truth” emerges in dialogue as a consensus with others, and thus changes with each historical moment.
Furthermore, as creatures living in language, each new truth (accepted idea) also has the potential to change us: paradoxically, language also creates reality.
But, contrary to our current understanding, for Maturana, emotions are more important than language and reason: “We humans are emotional creatures, using reason to prove or deny as we like.”
Why are these ideas relevant for the future? They liberate us from worldviews between body and mind, subject and object, biology and environment, hard science and soft science, individual and society.
transformation
They show us that in evolution, cooperation is stronger than competition. We are free to decide who we want to be, rather than reasoning for the ultimate truth.
Achieving this depends on our ability to reach consensus through language, the cooperative act that makes us human.
Democracy is not just a system of government, but a mutually acceptable way of life. What we believe really matters because we are co-creating what we think is reality.
In conclusion, Humberto Maturana’s ideas involve a fundamental shift in the understanding of life, opening the door to possibilities and the transformation of entire systems for a more just existence in our human and other biological worlds.
this author
Alfredo Erlwein-Vicuña is a professor at the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Soil Sciences and the Interdisciplinary Center for Environmental Studies at the Universidad del Sur, and a founding member of the Manfred Max-Neef Foundation.This article was first published in Renaissance and Ecologists Magazine, come out now.
