Process Thought Helps us Live a More Abundant Life
---Reflections on the 18th Process Summer Academy
By Kylie Bao
I have long been drawn to religion, psychology, and the arts—fields that have deepened my perception of the world and nourished my soul. Yet earlier this year, two friends challenged my perspective. One, a staunch materialist; the other, a liberal rationalist—both insisted that science is valuable because it is falsifiable, while the areas I cherish are, to them, nothing more than “metaphysics” in the pejorative sense.
Though these experiences bring me profound joy and insight, I found it difficult to convey—on their terms—how such “unverifiable” domains enrich life so deeply. I was left with a quiet sorrow: Why is there no philosophical framework broad enough to affirm the full spectrum of human spiritual experience and elevate it into a form of shared wisdom?
That is, until this summer in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, where I participated in the 18th Process Summer Academy hosted by Zhejiang Normal University. There, I encountered a framework that offered a new kind of answer—one rooted in the vision of Alfred North Whitehead and fellow process thinkers.
Though these experiences bring me profound joy and insight, I found it difficult to convey—on their terms—how such “unverifiable” domains enrich life so deeply. I was left with a quiet sorrow: Why is there no philosophical framework broad enough to affirm the full spectrum of human spiritual experience and elevate it into a form of shared wisdom?
That is, until this summer in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, where I participated in the 18th Process Summer Academy hosted by Zhejiang Normal University. There, I encountered a framework that offered a new kind of answer—one rooted in the vision of Alfred North Whitehead and fellow process thinkers.
1. The Heart of Process Philosophy: To Live, To Live Well, To Live Better
The phrase that struck me most in process philosophy was: “To live, to live well, to live better.” This is not a quest for static truths but a call to participate in the ongoing adventure of life, to grow creatively in a dynamic cosmos. But what does it mean to live better? Process philosophy offers two foundational concepts: relationality and relevance.
Relationality teaches that the essence of things is constituted by their relationships. Nothing exists in isolation; the nature of any entity emerges through its web of connections. A teacher is not inherently a “teacher”—it is through the interaction of teaching and learning that the identities of both teacher and student arise. This insight challenges the modern, alienating metaphor of life as a playground where others are merely NPCs. Instead, process thought calls us to respect the subjectivity of every being we encounter, never reducing others to objects of utility.
Relevance, in turn, reveals the deep interrelatedness of the universe. Nothing is truly separate. Whitehead proposed that all real and potential entities are implicated in the concrescence of reality—the coming together of elements into new, meaningful unities. Every event draws on what came before; no novelty emerges from a vacuum. To live better, then, is not merely to fulfill personal goals but to take responsibility for contributing positively to the unfolding of life itself—to become a “healthy cell” in the body of the universe, nourishing the whole with upward motion.
2. Rethinking Body and Mind: The Body Knows More Than the Brain
Process philosophy also challenged my assumptions about the mind-body divide. Whitehead emphasized that every act of experience includes both a physical pole (the raw data of the world) and a mental pole (the valuation and interpretation of that data). In this light, the body is not a passive vessel but an active participant in cognition.
A dancer I spoke with shared this insight:
A dancer I spoke with shared this insight:
“When I react from my head, I’m just repeating old habits. But when I let the body slowly sense the moment, my movements express something beyond rational understanding. Sometimes, it takes a month for words to catch up with what the body already knows.”
His words echo philosopher Eugene Gendlin’s process model of experience, which rejects rigid mind-body divisions. Gendlin proposed that the body carries implicit complexity—unformed knowledge that emerges only through felt interaction with the world. Meaning arises not from fixed categories but through the dynamic flow between self and environment. Real change unfolds through embodied steps of felt experience.
To live more abundantly, I realized, is to trust the intuitive wisdom of the body—not merely to cling to rational structures. To prehend the world, to feel it into being, is to open ourselves to a richer, more creative self.
His words echo philosopher Eugene Gendlin’s process model of experience, which rejects rigid mind-body divisions. Gendlin proposed that the body carries implicit complexity—unformed knowledge that emerges only through felt interaction with the world. Meaning arises not from fixed categories but through the dynamic flow between self and environment. Real change unfolds through embodied steps of felt experience.
To live more abundantly, I realized, is to trust the intuitive wisdom of the body—not merely to cling to rational structures. To prehend the world, to feel it into being, is to open ourselves to a richer, more creative self.
3. Stability Is a Slow Decline; Evolution Is the Essence of Life
Whitehead’s words in The Function of Reason struck me like a revelation:
“What looks like stability is a relatively slow process of atrophied decay. The stable universe is slipping away from under us. Our aim is upwards.”
In process thought, stability is not the goal; it is an illusion masking decline. The true nature of reality is creative advance. To choose upwardness is to participate in the world’s ongoing creation—to be a vessel for novelty rather than stagnation. This is not moral idealism but a return to life’s essence. Only through constant connection, renewed perception, and creative action can we truly “live better.”
Conclusion
Process philosophy has taught me not just concepts but a way of being: to honor the web of relationships that forms the fabric of our lives; to resist instrumentalizing others; to trust the body’s wisdom over outdated rationalist models; and to embrace evolution, knowing that stability is only the slow erosion of vitality.
And perhaps this is the most meaningful response to those who dismiss what they call “metaphysics.” Science pursues truths that can be falsified; philosophy seeks to understand what it means to exist meaningfully. In the vision of process philosophy, the transcendence of religion, the expressiveness of art, the healing of psychology, and the reason of science are not opposing realms but diverse faces of the universe’s creative unfolding. A truly inclusive philosophy must point us toward the fullness of life.
Kylie Bao is the founder of Kylie Studio.
And perhaps this is the most meaningful response to those who dismiss what they call “metaphysics.” Science pursues truths that can be falsified; philosophy seeks to understand what it means to exist meaningfully. In the vision of process philosophy, the transcendence of religion, the expressiveness of art, the healing of psychology, and the reason of science are not opposing realms but diverse faces of the universe’s creative unfolding. A truly inclusive philosophy must point us toward the fullness of life.
Kylie Bao is the founder of Kylie Studio.
