First Voyages

First Voyages introduces Éloge du Monde by framing knowledge as a journey. Michel Serres draws on the imagery of early explorers and sailors to suggest that understanding the world begins with movement, curiosity, and risk. Travel—across seas, cultures, and ideas—becomes a metaphor for learning.

In this opening section, Serres emphasizes departure from fixed viewpoints and established certainties. Just as the first voyages exposed humans to unknown lands and peoples, intellectual exploration requires openness to surprise, encounter, and transformation. The world is presented not as something to be mastered, but as something to be met, listened to, and admired through experience.