A fundamental antinomy pervades modern and contemporary Western philosophical anthropology. On one hand science tells us that humanity is one among the many life forms dwelling on earth and that its destiny is that of a biological species among others. But on the other hand the prevalent philosophical definitions of Man tell us that he transcends all forms of biological life.
This philosophical anthropology holds that ontically Man is cut off
from all other living beings: only its material substrate (his body)
belongs to the ontic class of biological beings. The thesis is backed up by ontological dualism: Man has a body but he is (actually or at least
potentially) an eternal Soul, or a non-physical self (cogito), or an
ex-static non-naturalistic Dasein. In its cartesian and post-cartesian
forms this anthropology is radically gnoseocentric. The ontic exceptionality of Man is founded on the fact that ontologically he is “the knowing one”: only he can know God, only he is a cogito (animals are only physical machines), only he is inhabiting a World (animals have
only an Umwelt).
This anthropology implies a strong antinaturalistic epistemology. It
must hold that the essence of Man escapes scientific study and can be
accessed only by some non-naturalistic method, such as religious
revelation, self-evident auto-presentative cogitation or hermeneutical
auto-elucidation (Selbstauslegung). This is to say that its cognitive
consequences for a better understanding of Mankind are devastating. The
paper explores some ways which hopefully could help us to find a way
out.