Definition
Poetic naturalism is the view that there is one natural world, but many valid vocabularies for describing it at different levels of emergence. A person can be atoms, a biological organism, and a choosing agent without contradiction.
Why It Matters
Poetic naturalism is the “truce” between science and humanity. It allows us to accept the “Hard Facts” of physics without losing the “Meaningful Story” of human life. By recognizing that different vocabularies are valid at different levels of emergence, we can be both “Star Stuff” and “Choosing Agents.” This prevents the “Reductionist Depression” where people think that because we are made of atoms, our love and purpose are “fake.”
Core Concepts
- One world supports many descriptions when each description has a domain where it tracks real patterns.
- Higher-level stories are not fake merely because lower-level physics also applies.
- Naturalism rejects supernatural additions while preserving meaning, value, identity, and agency as emergent descriptions.
- The right vocabulary depends on the question being asked.