Response
From the reading of Berry work on Consilience written by Wilson, it is clear that the argument raised by Berry (2001) clearly reveals the materialistic nature of Wilson who is indeed a materialistic man having held science close to his heart. To begin with, Wilson argument that this world is made up of laws which have the ability to be verified is indeed true. According to his, such laws can be proved by the use of scientific processes. Looking at these statements, we can see that this is indeed true since the world systems are based on laws that have been ultimately proved using scientific methods that demand that empirical evidence is used before a conclusion has arrived at something. To me, this is nothing but materials as presented by Wilson without which nothing can be verified or accepted as knowledge.
In another way, science has provided a means of understanding ourselves better and the things surrounding us if we can only empirically measure their characteristic and use laws that govern our relationship to such. Wilson being a scientist understands that everything in life needs to be verified by means of scientific methods. Through science, as we know, important conclusions have been reached through experiments that have relied on data that can be analyzed in order to make inferences about some areas of concern. This is actually once of the core of science; materialism.
However, as noted by Wilson holding on to materialism bring problems concerning the idea of looking at everything as objects. This notion distances us from our world though we are of it. Wilson believes that there exists an illusion which he credits for biological adaptation though his trust on science and materialism cannot prove this. In fact, this may be the reason why Wilson put forward that man has a self-deception which to me may be the reason why his stand on science weakens by allowing illusions.
