A thinker who summoned the next civilization
---In Memory of Dr. John Cobb Jr.
By Helen Zhang Haiyan,
Practical Project Manager of IPDC
How few sages does an era get to witness? For many, Dr. John B. Cobb Jr., who passed away at the remarkable age of 100 on December 26, 2024, was one such rare figure. The intellectual world has long been filled with scholars tirelessly constructing their towers of knowledge, but true thinkers—those who can shake the foundations of their time with profound insight—are exceedingly rare. Dr. Cobb was among the rarest of them all. Decades ago, only a handful of people could even comprehend Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy. Yet, through relentless study and refinement, Dr. Cobb transformed this complex framework into a conceptual fulcrum that has helped pivot the world toward postmodern lifestyle and ecological civilization.
The world credits Dr. Cobb as the pioneer "ecological civilization" thinker, yet few realize that China’s current discourse on developing "new quality productive forces" traces back to the idea of novelty of creation he first articulated in Process Theology some 50 years ago. And Dr. Cobb himself was a trailblazer at the cutting edge of thoughts creation. His insights cut through the chaos of reality with the precision of a scalpel, and his ceaseless stream of new ideas burned like a raging torch, illuminating the path for those striving toward a better world. Since the 1970s, his work has inspired generations of pioneers across disciplines, igniting movements that have brought process thought and ecological civilization from abstract concepts into tangible reality.
In this decades-long, spontaneously flourishing process thinking movement, Dr. Cobb stood at the forefront, holding the banner high. His sharp and profound thoughts and initiatives consistently guided ecological advocates worldwide, embodying the wisdom described in the I Ching: “The sage purifies his heart with I Ching, retreats into its depths, and lives it in his people as it is their shared fate.” Born into a devout Southern Methodist family, Dr. Cobb built upon the intellectual traditions of the West, rising to prominence early in life. He nurtured generations of students, wrote prolifically, and, with remarkable longevity, continued his scholarly pursuits without pause. All these his lifelong dedications eroded the very foundations of capitalism’s ideological stronghold.
In an ancient Chinese fable, there was a Foolish Old Man moving mountains so persistently that it moved the gods to intervene and clear his path. Dr. Cobb, however, had no divine assistance—he single-handedly dismantled rigid dualisms and outdated scientific rationalism with the most rigorous, reasoned Whiteheadian arguments. what a testament to human intellectual perseverance, a feat that rivals myth yet is entirely real!
Behind this monumental influence was his ocean of scholarly depth. Dr. Cobb’s writings carried an extraordinary density of insight and meaning. I was privileged to translate several of his wonderful English writings—challenging and great exciting tasks for a translator to enjoy. His words could be as powerful as rock music to its fans, electrifying the reader’s mind. One could tell when such soul imprinting moment occurs. Just as I once happened to run my finger with the engraved calligraphy strokes of Mi Fu, a top calligrapher of Song Dynasty, in Xi’an’s Forest of Steles, the raw unrestrained energetic feeling suddenly shocked me bursting into tears, reading Dr. Cobb’s works several times left me awestruck, so overwhelming that I cannot help trying the very best of my Chinese to maintain the extraordinary enlightening energy of his intellectual brilliance.
Thus Dr. Cobb’s influence extended far beyond academia. Even during the pandemic, he was still actively engaging with scholars younger than his grandsons, made up in a poster in a leather jacket and sunglasses roaring like a rockstar, which made him, at 96, become an unlikely intellectual icon in the digital times, throwing online seminars on Process and Reality like parties or online refuge for process thinkers throughout the world. Few scholars can claim such a cross-generational and cross-disciplinary impact indeed, making Dr. Cobb one of the greatest intellectual figures of our times.
Beneath his mountain of intellect lay a heart of deep compassion, humility, and brightness and purity of his nature. His achievements in philosophy and theology have been widely recognized, but his ability to foresee and shape the future of ecological civilized world was unparalleled. He not only diagnosed the world’s crises but also offered tangible solutions, such as pioneering concepts like ecological civilization, new quality of creation, and green GDP, etc. And if Karl Marx convinced the proletariat of capitalism’s failings, Dr. Cobb and his postmodern constructive collaborators
showed even the capitalist class a future beyond capitalism—one of shared prosperity and ecological harmony. Such a vision also played an enlightening role in China’s shift from reckless industrial expansion to a more reflective, ecologically conscious development model.
Yet his greatest strength lay in his actions. He sold his ancestral estate to fund the International Forum on Ecological Civilization, transforming Claremont into a global hub for postmodern and ecological thought. The Cobb Institute for Community and Ecological Civilization became a beacon for scholars and activists worldwide. Even in his later years, he personally spearheaded initiatives like the Living Earth Movement, bringing together thought leaders to tackle the planet’s most pressing ecological crises. He traveled tirelessly to support ecological communities, delivered speeches, and sent countless letters and video messages to uplift and encourage those fighting for a sustainable future.
According to the ancient Chinese pedagogical classics Record on the subject of Education, “A great singer inspires others to continue the song; a great teacher inspires others to carry forward the mission.” Dr. Cobb’s greatest hope was to see ecological civilization truly flourish, a world where his ideas blossom in the hands of future generations.
On February 9, 2025, Dr. Cobb would have turned 100. His colleagues and friends across the globe fondly remembered him that day. I, too, recalled my first meeting with him in the autumn of 2016—his gentle yet wise presence remains vivid and glamouring in my mind. His century-long journey was not just one of intellectual rigor but also of relentless action, of wielding his pen like a sword to challenge the world and guard the earth. He lived his scholarship embedding his ideas into the hearts of his times.
Dr. Cobb’s birthday is in Lichun, the first of Chinese 24 solar terms, marking the beginning of spring—a fitting symbol for a man whose life was dedicated to renewal and transformation. And according to another Chinese tradition, the last and ultimate blessing in life is “to live healthy long and pass away in peace.” Having celebrated his 99th Christmas, he departed the next day, concluding his journey with a perfect, poetic symmetry. The revered late Chinese scholar Nan Huai-Chin highly appreciated those who lived “upright, wise, and loyally whole shall become spirits after death.” Dr. Cobb embodied this ideal, a living manifestation of the Logos incarnatio. May he continue to bless the flourishing of ecological civilization from the heavens above.
(Helen Zhang Haiyan is Practical Project Manager of IPDC)