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On the face of every tree, there is a story. The story is not on the surface of the tree. It is the tree itself. Every tree tells a story. To see it is to see its story, and to sense it in any other way is to sense its story. Ultimately, botany is tree ontology. To study a tree is to decipher its ontology. Since I am neither a botanist nor a biophysical scientist, there may be a legitimate concern about what I can meaningfully contribute to our understanding of the way of trees in Africa. What can philosophy—my field of study—contribute to the understanding of this way or to the understanding of the way of trees in general? To prepare the way for an answer to this question, it should not be assumed that the physical and biological sciences have a monopoly on helping us understand the way of trees in Africa or anywhere else. Moreover, the understanding of science is not an exclusive domain of physical and biological scientists. Contrary to what may be fashionable, philosophers too have a contribution to make to our understanding of physical and of biological sciences, and to the understanding of science in general. In addition, it should not be forgotten that philosophers are both creatures of nature and a part of the physical and biological world. In seeking to understand nature, they seek to understand themselves in a holistic way. Natural science (physical and biological) is a human science, and where and when human science is at stake, as human beings, philosophers are inevitably implicated and have something significant to say about the nature of this implication.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52560-0_8

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