Daoist Unity of Science, the Bifurcation of Nature, and Modern Technology

Abstract Contemporary philosophy of science focuses less on discussing the unity of science and instead emphasizes pluralism and diverse scientific practices, often driven by the association of unity with outdated reductionist ideas. However, this article argues that unity remains crucial, shifting the focus from the relationships between scientific models and theories to the (transcendental) conditions that make the practices of science possible in the first place. We thereby draw on Kant’s transcendental unity of consciousness, linking the philosophy of science to the study of consciousness. Here, contemporary Western philosophy could learn much from traditional Eastern approaches. Contextualizing the discussion within Daoist philosophy, we propose that unity is best understood as a harmonious dialectic between opposing perspectives, analogous to diverse scientific methodologies and models. Modern technologies, far from instantiating “theory-free” approaches to science, are tools for relating these different (theoretical) perspectives. Yet, crucially, the possibility of relating to a shared world stems from the transcendental nature of consciousness. We hypothesize that the harmony between radically different scientific representations empirically manifests a unified form of consciousness and suggest how technology might help reveal this unity within plurality.