Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
branches intertwined with those of that other plant? In this quest
for meaning, he succeeds in classifying several types of plant
depending on their size, and recognises thus several levels populated
with living things that maintain specific relationships which seem
to support this complexity: the phenomena connected with small
plants that survive close to the ground, with those that occur
higher towards the tops of the tall trees, and with those that are at
a height in between. This structure seems to him to be inherent to
the forest and even to account for it. In fact, each of these levels
seems to have its own properties in terms of light, temperature,
humidity and sensitivity to wind. Nevertheless, if he were to see the
Amazon, he would probably understand that this apparent com-
plexity and apparent hierarchical organisation has a simple expla-
nation related to the abundance of water in this region, which
favours the growth of luxuriant vegetation. He would also under-
stand that the multitude of little details that make up the forest are
the result of the vagaries produced during this growth, which have
neither an explanation nor any particular meaning. As for the lev-
els of organisation, they are not a constitutive structure inherent to
the forest but the result of plant growth in the conditions where
they are produced. If these conditions change (less water, a differ-
ent temperature etc.), the structure of the forest would also change,
because it is not constitutive but the result of a process conditioned
by the structure of the environment.
When we analyse living matter, we are in a situation similar to
this man lost in the forest. In the same way that he is unable to see
the Amazon, we also have a blind spot. The idea of a natural hier-
archy is intimately linked with essentialism which assumes a hier-
archy of forms or essences that give structure to the world. This
hierarchy ends with Man whose existence has been endowed with a
meaning that emanates spontaneously from his nature. It makes
him the centre of and ultimate project of Creation. We are inca-
pable therefore of renouncing this because that would mean aban-
doning our privileged position and recognising in ourselves Random
Man, with the loss of meaning that it implies. This prospect is a
threat to our integrity and we seek to avoid it at all costs.
