THE WONDER OF NATURE

Natural philosophy used to be a specialised area of philosophical inquiry: how things worked and why they worked the way they did. But philosophical wonder is the birthright of every human being. This 4-minute animation illustrates the mathematic principles that are reflected in nature. The subject matter as well as the artistry of filmmaker Cristóbal Vila rouse a real sense of wonder at the brilliance of natural law and the creativity of human inquiry.

The animation was inspired by Vila’s work on numbers, geometry, and the natural world. He explains the theory behind each sequence on his website.

It’s worth noting that Vila admits to taking “artistic license” with the relationship between the golden ratio and the structure of the nautilus. If you’d like to read more about the persistent myths of the golden ratio in nature, read this essay by Samuel Arbesman—published by the science quarterly Nautilus.