Exploring Essence, Personhood, and Nature

In this episode I speak with Bryan Kam, a philosopher based in London and author of the forthcoming book Neither/Nor. We explore the fundamental question of what nature is and discuss:

• How ancient Greek concepts of phusis (nature) and nomos (human law) shape our understanding of the natural world.

• The tension between static and dynamic views of nature, from Parmenides to Heraclitus.

• Scientific materialism's struggle to establish nature's inherent value without religious frameworks.

• The Industrial Revolution's transformation of our relationship with nature.

• The challenge of preserving "wilderness" in a human-shaped environment.

• How urbanization may create an imaginary, disconnected view of nature.

• The philosophical tensions revealed in defining what counts as "natural" versus "artificial".

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