'The Philosophy of Movement: An Introduction' with Thomas Nail
Nov 4, 2024
auto_awesome
Thomas Nail, author of The Philosophy of Movement, delves into the significance of motion as a fundamental force in human history. He critiques Western thought's bias towards stasis, exploring how this affects identity and politics today. The discussion sheds light on indeterminacy in both philosophy and quantum physics, stressing the interconnectedness of existence. Additionally, Nail highlights the role of migration as a historical driver of societal change, urging a rethink of citizenship in our fast-moving world.
Thomas Nail critiques the Western philosophical bias towards immobility, advocating for recognizing movement as a foundational aspect of reality.
The concept of indeterminacy is essential in understanding movement, challenging traditional views that prioritize fixed identities in philosophical discourse.
Nail argues that embracing migration as a central human feature can profoundly reshape societal perceptions of identity and community cohesion.
Deep dives
Historical Bias Against Movement
The podcast discusses the historical tendency in Western philosophy to explain movement through static principles, highlighting a pervasive bias against recognizing movement as a primary feature of existence. Thomas Nail argues that this bias has roots in early philosophical ideas, such as those from Greek thinkers who positioned unmoving entities at the center of their cosmologies. This approach effectively invalidates the importance of movement, as concepts like the 'unmoved mover' suggest that true stability must exist for anything to change. Nail posits that this perspective fundamentally shapes a Euro-Western understanding of various phenomena, including time, space, and even science, leading to a diminished appreciation for movement as a critical and dynamic aspect of reality.
Ontological Hierarchies
The conversation explores how the Western philosophical tradition constructs a hierarchy of being that places immovable elements above those that are mobile, which extends into socio-political contexts. Nail critiques Aristotle's 'Great Chain of Being' that privileges static forms and relegates movement and matter to the lower rungs of existence, associating them with inferiority. This ontological hierarchy not only influences aesthetic and scientific thought but also underpins significant political ramifications, including justifications for slavery and the subjugation of 'non-civilized' groups. The implications of this hierarchical view underscore a broader cultural tendency to view movement as a threat to established order, further complicating contemporary discussions on migration and identity.
Indeterminacy as a Philosophical Principle
Nail introduces the concept of indeterminacy, suggesting that traditional notions of stability and fixed identities obscure the dynamic nature of reality. His argument is that understanding movement requires a shift from viewing it as a mere phenomenon to recognizing it as an essential characteristic of existence itself. By drawing on principles from quantum physics, he emphasizes that the unpredictable nature of energy aligns with a philosophical framework where indeterminacy becomes a core element. This perspective challenges longstanding philosophical traditions that rely on stable, determinate definitions of entities and opens up new avenues for thinking about relationships and processes in a fluid manner.
Movement and Politics
The implications of Nail's philosophy of movement extend into the political realm, especially concerning migration and societal structures. He contends that viewing migration as a fundamental aspect of humanity, rather than an exception or crisis, radically reframes how societies understand identity and cohesion. This perspective suggests that human societies are inherently dynamic and shaped by movement, thus necessitating a recognition of the contributions that diverse migrant populations bring. Nail links these ideas to historical patterns of human mobility, arguing that sustainable political systems must embrace change and adaptability rather than resist the inherent motion that shapes human existence.
Future Directions of Philosophy of Movement
Looking ahead, Nail expresses his intention to explore earlier civilizations' philosophical traditions and their concepts of movement, particularly their cosmological narratives that predate classical Western thought. He aims to investigate how early cultures understood chaos and movement as central to their existence, which contrasts with later philosophies that prioritize order and stability. This research will delve into the significance of chaos as a primordial concept in narratives of creation and existence, potentially revealing insights into the contemporary implications of these narratives. Nail's future work seeks to unravel the thread of movement across cultures and histories, emphasizing its role as a continuous and shaping force in human experience.
About 'The Philosophy of Movement: An Introduction':
Why are city dwellers worldwide walking on average ten percent faster than they were a decade ago? Why are newcomer immigrant groups so often maligned when migration has always constituted civilization? To analyze and understand the depth of the reasons, Thomas Nail suggests that it serves us well to turn to a philosophy of movement. Synthesizing and extending many years of his influential work, The Philosophy of Movement is a comprehensive argument for how motion is the primary force in human and natural history.
Nail critiques the bias toward stasis at the core of Western thought, asking: what would a philosophy that began with the primacy of movement look like? Interrogating the consequences of movement throughout history and in daily life in the twenty-first century, he draws connections and traces patterns between scales of reality, periods of history, and fields of knowledge. In our age of rapid movements shaped by accelerating climate change and ensuing mass global migration, as well as ubiquitous digital media, Nail provides a contemporary philosophy that helps us understand how we got here and how to grapple with these interlocking challenges.
With a foreword by philosopher Daniel W. Smith, The Philosophy of Movement: An Introduction is a must-read for scholars and students not only of philosophy but also history, anthropology, science and technology studies, mobility studies, and other fields across the humanities and social sciences.