What do we study when we study the world?
The essay reflects on the ‘material thinness’ of the‘bubble’, of the human social reality in comparison to thehugeness of the observable universe. Second, I distinguishbetween the biosphere as a space on the Earth surfaceThe essay reflects on the ‘material thinness’ of the‘bubble’, of the human social reality in comparison to the hugeness of the observable universe. Second, I distinguishbetween the biosphere as a space on the Earth surface where DNA-based life thrives, on the one hand, and thesocial reality (semiosphere), on the other; the latter generated solely by humans and their social use of language. Onthis basis, I propose that while most natural sciences dealwith the entire material reality, the purview of the socialsciences and the humanities is limited to the human semiosphere only. A conscious realization of the fact appearsto put many human pursuits in a better perspective.
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