Saturday, February 9, 2008
Descartes speaks a lot about light and heat in Part 5 of the Discourse. One particular quote that intrigues me is this: " ..how sometimes it has only heat but light, and sometimes only light but no heat...how it can consume nearly all of them or turn them into ashes and smoke.." (page 25). This excerpt is obviously pertaining to light and heat and the powers they possess. You can have both at one time, or one and not the other at one time, and yet they might be so powerful still, and have such different effects on things. Light is what we solely depend on, as we need it from any and all sources, as with heat; it is necessary for life. You can just be in awe looking at light; you may be comforted by the sense brought by heat. All things around us depend on heat and light, and really, do we ever think about these two things? I know I never do. And how important are they? Without one or the other, we would not survive, earth would not be, living would not live. And of all the wondrous uses they possess, and complexity of them, you never think of how much is dependant on them. They are everywhere, used in the making of so many things, they give off vital productions...and is it too much, or too abstract and forward to say we take advantage of heat and light? Is this wrong?
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3 comments:
I think it is safe to say that we do take advantage of light and heat. I never stop and think about how we use these two "items" so much, and without ever thinking about it. I don't stop and look towards the sun and think how it is giving us light and heat. We, as humans, if looking at the world like this, then take advantage of alot of things.
We definitely take advantage of the two, since the day we were born it has provided us with comfort and the ability to keep functioning. Without heat or light we all would obviously die. Diana is sooo right, us humans take advantage of a lot of things. Do you think Descartes is trying to tell us that we are ungrateful?
i'm intrigued by the idea that heat and light possess powers. there's a lot going on in this part of the Discourse in which D is describing the actual nature of physical things--bodies, blood, heat, light. it's a fundamental part of the story, if you believe natural things are law-governed. it's very sketchy though.
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