Jorge Wagensberg, the world revealed through words

Abstract

One of the most appealing aspects of the figure and work of Jorge Wagensberg (Barcelona 1948-2018) is his interdisciplinary nature, as well as his ability to open up to new horizons of knowledge. This article focuses on the link that he suggested (in many of his essays) between the knowledge that comes from science, art and revelation. The three areas need each other, feed off each other, complement and enrich each other. However, (and this is the most surprising thing coming from a scientist)  Wagensberg admits that science has limitations, that art reaches further than science and that the mystical path reaches further than the other two. The article also analyses the crucial role played by literature and poetry as forms of knowing reality that have amphibious features, which are typical of the world of art and the field of revelation. Finally, it ends by showing how Wagensberg tried to do everything he could to draw closer the field of literature from his scientific perspective.