Three Ways to Approach
Whitehead's Philosophy
a system, a wildfire, a mood
There are three ways to approach Whitehead's philosophy: as a system that integrates insights from science, art, ethics, and religion, suitable for academic study; as a wildfire that sparks new forms of thinking among academics, artists, and other creative individuals; and as a collective mood that can be woven into the lives of ordinary people from all walks of life.
For a general introduction to the systematic approach to Whitehead, see Twenty Key Ideas with its references to resources for reading Process and Reality and its video series aimed toward that end, See also the work and publications of the Whitehead Research Project. The work of the Research Project is the best work available on systematic Whitehead scholarship. See especially its Whitehead Research Library. Finally, see The Mind of Whitehead by Roland Faber.
And for a sense of Whitehead's philosophy as a wildfire, a springboard for fresh ideas, see the sample essays from Open Horizons added as an appendix to this page. All are "sparks" of the Whiteheadian wildfire. There are many other examples - too many to name, of where Whitehead's philosophy has been a catalyst for fresh thinking among artists, writers, poets, counselors, political scientists, and countless others.
This page presents two brief essays exploring Whitehead's philosophy as a mood. However, the Whiteheadian mood is by no means confined to Whitehead alone. It could just as easily be called a process-relational mood, influenced by many other traditions and thinkers. The most likely way it will become part of the lives of "ordinary people from all walks of life" is through education, art, and religion. As it is incorporated into their lives, they will add their own voices and combine it with insights of their own. Thus the Whiteheadian mood will be adapted and changed, taking on new forms and names along the way. However named, three of its primary values are kindness, beauty, and creativity. Wherever these three values are found, you find something of the "Whiteheadian mood."
The Whiteheadian Mood
It is common to think that, for a school of thought to endure through time, people must study its ideas as inscribed in written texts. And yet very few texts, except very famous ones such as the Bible, the Qur'an, the Analects of Confucius, are studied by vast numbers of people over a period of centuries. But what can endure in a school of thought, at least as a felt possibility - a "lure for feeling" to quote the philosopher Whitehead - that is in the imaginations of successor generations, is a "mood" that is part of the school of thought.
Consider the Enlightenment and Romanticism. These two intellectual movements continue to shape our world today.
The Enlightenment, emerging in the 17th and 18th centuries, championed reason, empirical science, and universal human rights, emphasizing cosmopolitanism and rational governance. Thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Denis Diderot, Voltaire, and Immanuel Kant played key roles in shaping its ideals. The Enlightenment mood is found today in people who emphasize evidence-based policies, champion progressive legal frameworks for equality, and trust scientific advancements. For example, those advocating for climate action based on scientific consensus, or individuals working in fields like healthcare and technology where data and reason guide decision-making, embody the enduring influence of the Enlightenment mood.
Romanticism, in contrast, arose in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a reaction to the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. It emphasized emotion, imagination, and local cultural traditions, valuing the distinctiveness of particular communities and historical inheritances. Figures such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schlegel, and Mary Shelley embodied this shift. The Romantic mood is found today in people who value personal expression, celebrate artistic creativity, and focus on the preservation of cultural heritage. For example, those involved in the folk music revival, individuals advocating for the protection of indigenous languages and traditions, or those supporting the arts as a means of emotional and spiritual expression, reflect the ongoing influence of Romanticism. These people often emphasize the power of individual imagination and emotional depth in navigating the complexities of modern life.
One of the aims of Whitehead's philosophy was to combine aspects of these two moods. In Science and the Modern World, attempted to integrate aspects of both the Enlightenment and Romantic moods, seeking a synthesis between rational scientific progress and the depth of aesthetic and emotional experience. And even as he encouraged world loyalty which is an Enlightenment ideal, his thought also lends itself to the cultivation of bonded communities, in local settings, where people live with respect and care for one another and the more than human world, which is a Romantic ideal
This raises the question: Is there a Whiteheadian "mood" which those who write about him are trying to encourage, even as their own works (and names) will be forgotten. Below I list, as it were, eight dimensions of the Whiteheadian mood:
Consider the Enlightenment and Romanticism. These two intellectual movements continue to shape our world today.
The Enlightenment, emerging in the 17th and 18th centuries, championed reason, empirical science, and universal human rights, emphasizing cosmopolitanism and rational governance. Thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Denis Diderot, Voltaire, and Immanuel Kant played key roles in shaping its ideals. The Enlightenment mood is found today in people who emphasize evidence-based policies, champion progressive legal frameworks for equality, and trust scientific advancements. For example, those advocating for climate action based on scientific consensus, or individuals working in fields like healthcare and technology where data and reason guide decision-making, embody the enduring influence of the Enlightenment mood.
Romanticism, in contrast, arose in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a reaction to the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. It emphasized emotion, imagination, and local cultural traditions, valuing the distinctiveness of particular communities and historical inheritances. Figures such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schlegel, and Mary Shelley embodied this shift. The Romantic mood is found today in people who value personal expression, celebrate artistic creativity, and focus on the preservation of cultural heritage. For example, those involved in the folk music revival, individuals advocating for the protection of indigenous languages and traditions, or those supporting the arts as a means of emotional and spiritual expression, reflect the ongoing influence of Romanticism. These people often emphasize the power of individual imagination and emotional depth in navigating the complexities of modern life.
One of the aims of Whitehead's philosophy was to combine aspects of these two moods. In Science and the Modern World, attempted to integrate aspects of both the Enlightenment and Romantic moods, seeking a synthesis between rational scientific progress and the depth of aesthetic and emotional experience. And even as he encouraged world loyalty which is an Enlightenment ideal, his thought also lends itself to the cultivation of bonded communities, in local settings, where people live with respect and care for one another and the more than human world, which is a Romantic ideal
This raises the question: Is there a Whiteheadian "mood" which those who write about him are trying to encourage, even as their own works (and names) will be forgotten. Below I list, as it were, eight dimensions of the Whiteheadian mood:
- Dynamic Openness: A resistance to static, absolute categories in favor of an ever-evolving reality where entities influence and are influenced by each other.
- Relationality: A deep sense of interconnectedness between all things, emphasizing the mutual shaping of existence, including inter-becoming, amid which beings are present in one another even as distinct from one another.
- Creative Becoming: An embrace of novelty and transformation, valuing the unfolding nature of reality.
- Respect for Life: A commitment to honoring and protecting the intrinsic value of all living beings, recognizing them as subjects of their own existence rather than mere objects for others.
- Divine Immanence and Co-creativity: A view of God as engaged in the ongoing unfolding of the universe rather than as a distant, unchanging entity, and as an activity of sympathetic love or deep listening.
- Hope and Adaptability: A contrast with deterministic or dualistic frameworks, fostering an ethos of resilience, openness, and engagement with uncertainty as a site of growth and transformation.
- Beauty: A recognition of aesthetic value as central to experience, where harmony, contrast, and intensity enrich existence and shape the unfolding of reality.
- Love: A deep, guiding force that nurtures connection, empathy, and the flourishing of relationships, both human and cosmic, fostering a sense of belonging and care.