The Human Person Between Knowledge and Mystery: Scientific and Philosophical Reflections

Abstract

How is it that we can move on but never stop completely? How is it that reality is graspable, ever more and more, but never exhaustively? The aim of this paper is to indicate the following: (i) An amount of inadequacy is inbuilt into reality, an inadequacy that is both delimiting and enabling. (ii) There is room for further search and openness in the real world. (iii) Humans beings themselves are products of such an ever-expanding horizon, that is both elusive and enabling. Just as the horizon, humans can always approach each other, never arrive it. Just as the horizon invites us by its ever-receding nature, human beings are also ever-receding mystery unto each other. In this paper the author holds that just as the material reality is ever approachable, but never attainable, so too human beings could be understood in this paradoxical and ambiguous manner. So it is ever approachable and never attainable. So human beings, including our ideals, perfections, our relationship and even happiness, are approachable, but never realizable. Therein lies the precious and precarious nature of reality and human beings.