> Enlightenment philosophers struggled to reconcile empirical science with religious and moral traditions. Immanuel Kant believed the world of appearances resulted from the human mind, resolving the perceived discrepancy between the observable world and the mind. This philosophy connected with the political shift from aristocratic rule to freedom through reason.
> Kant's theories expanded to include the Earth, the solar system, and the cosmos. Technologies like telescopes have helped humans understand these vast spaces. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has returned images that deepen our understanding of the cosmos and ourselves, revealing new astrophysical phenomena and potentially even extraterrestrial life.
> Scientists have been able to trace the history of the universe back to the Big Bang, and the discovery of exoplanets has expanded our understanding of life in the universe. The JWST's data on exoplanetary atmospheres and planet formation could yield a generalised theory of life, and future advancements in technology may help us explore even further.
This is precisely the sort of writing that made me less interested in aeon to be honest. The main point seems to be shallow, with a lot of meanderings. Atmittedly those meanderings are interesting, but they also serve to bury the main point, which always leaves me slightly dissatisfied when I've read the whole thing thoroughly. I realise this is a harsh condemnation which may seem unfair, so I'm interested to hear opposing views.