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Alfred North Whitehead
1861
- 1947
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The Center for Process Studies contributes to the development
of a new cultural paradigm influenced by a relational worldview. As a resource for
scholars and other professionals the Center coordinates multidisciplinary and
trans-disciplinary research on pressing issues, seeking to avoid the inertia and
limitations of segregated university disciplines. Where other new paradigm institutes
focus on singular issues--like ecology, agriculture, feminism, race and class,
decentralized political economic theory, or appropriate technology--a typical process
focus is to integrate these issues through a non-dualistic worldview applicable to a wide
range of problems. A process procedure of mutual transformation of perspectives uniquely
integrates science, religion, ethics, and aesthetics, generating a wider perspective that
includes feminist, ecological, political, economic and other issues into a unity that
takes account of issues beyond immediate concern for itself.
Click here for the Center for
Process Studies Homepage.
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Many philosophers have attempted to build a process metaphysics or an evolutionary
philosophy, including Alfred North Whitehead, Teilhard de
Chardin, Herbert
Spencer, and Henry Bergson. Their main idea is to ground a philosophy on change or
development, rather than on static concepts like matter or mind. However, these early
process philosophies are characterized by vagueness and mysticism, and they tend to see
evolution as teleological, goal directed, guided by some supra-physical force, rather than
as the blind variation and selection
process that we postulate. They are thus not constructivist in the sense discussed in
section constructivism.
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The Wit and Wisdom of Whitehead.
Sections on the website include:
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The Australasian
Association for Process Thought was formed in 1996 by process philosopher and theologian,
Dr. Greg Moses and computer scientist, Peter Farleigh, with support from biologist and
writer, Professor Charles Birch and humanities professor, Wayne Hudson. The aim of the
organisation is to promote the study of the process-relational thought of Alfred North
Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne (who turned
101 recently!) in the southern Pacific region.
Membership consists of academics, scientists, medics, clergy, students, and other
interested people from all over Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
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Two dozen steps from ancient Greek thought to the
panexperientialism of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne, and its use in New
Thought.
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By V. Alan White. When Alfred North Whitehead published
The Principle of Relativity in 1922 as an alternative to Einstein’s 1905 and 1916
expositions, it immediately suffered the same ignoble stillbirth of Hume’s first
Treatise. Unlike Hume’s work, however, no subsequent resurrection of Whitehead’s
book or theory occurred. The reasons for this appear to be quite understandable.
Whitehead’s mathematical treatment of special relativity doesn’t differ from
Einstein’s, and where it does with respect to general relativity, the available
evidence hasn’t been kind to Whitehead. Perhaps most significantly, however, is that
the conceptual base for this theoretical stew—Whitehead’s concept of the
relativity of simultaneity—has a distinctly Newtonian flavor. The enthusiasm among
philosophers and physicists for this recipe might best be compared to that engorged
Thanksgivers exhibit for warmed-over turkey casserole.
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The other great process philosopher.
This web site contains resources for scholars and students of process thought. Process
follows the philosophical work of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne. The site contains
conference papers, bibliographies and research tools.
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