In an attempt to address a topic that may interest the non-specialist and at the same time stick to what I am supposed to know (and the reason I was invited to the Encuentro de Filosofia Ambiental, Puerto Natales, Chile 2013), I have decided to use my own experience and knowledge of the archaeology of the first peopling of the Americas as a springboard to deal with several problems concerning knowledge and the need to go beyond simple generalizations in order to face diversity and to keep a balance and permanent dialogue between our empirical observations and our creative thoughts and imagination.