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Introduction: A Sixth Kind of Beauty
In his metaphysical scheme, Whitehead distinguishes between eternal objects and propositions. Eternal objects are very abstract entities that can be conceptually entertained, and that may or may not be actualized in some possible universe, but have no obvious relevance to life or the particular universe we live in. They are, in his words, "pure potentials."
He speaks of propositions, by contrast, as impure potentials because they are not restricted to the ostensive 'purity' of non-temporal potentiality. Propositions combine pure potentials with a sense of the world itself; they are applicable. Even if they are not true, they are interesting. Whitehead speaks of them as "lures for feeling." Most of the ideas in our minds, as we live our daily lives, are propositions of one sort or another: memories, theories, hopes, fears, fantasies, aspirations, temptations, assurances. They are lures for feeling.
In Vivian Dong's story, the question emerges: is Negative Five a pure potentiality or an impure potentiality? Is it an utter abstraction (an eternal object) or a lure for feeling? The answer is clear that, in her discovery of negative five, it is closely tied to her daily life, specifically to eating. Yet it carries with it the beauty of abstractions. It possesses a magical quality. It is possible that negative five, when considered by a mathematician, may be a pure potential. But in Vivian's life, it is a relevant potential, mixed in with her relations with family, friends, and food.
Here Whitehead's own terminology becomes problematic, if "pure" in any way connotes separation from daily life. There is something profoundly good, profoundly "pure," about mathematics when intertwined with daily life, lying midway between the highly abstract and the completely concrete. In this ostensive impurity, there is a beauty, a wonder that ignites her imagination and infuses her daily life. The beauty of mathematics is not simply the beauty of utter abstraction; it is the beauty of relevant possibility.
Process thinkers find value in beauty. Patricia Adams Farmer speaks of five kinds of beauty: natural beauty, moral beauty, artistic beauty, soul beauty, and tragic beauty. To these five kinds, a sixth can be added: mathematical beauty or, in the case of the story below, the beauty of numbers, including negative five. The beauty is abstract but also closely tied to daily life, felt relationships, and struggle. The 'mental pole' and the 'physical pole' of experience are united; the discovery of intellectual beauty comes through ordinary life, not apart from it.
Enjoy the story by Vivian Dong, one of my former students.
- Jay McDaniel
He speaks of propositions, by contrast, as impure potentials because they are not restricted to the ostensive 'purity' of non-temporal potentiality. Propositions combine pure potentials with a sense of the world itself; they are applicable. Even if they are not true, they are interesting. Whitehead speaks of them as "lures for feeling." Most of the ideas in our minds, as we live our daily lives, are propositions of one sort or another: memories, theories, hopes, fears, fantasies, aspirations, temptations, assurances. They are lures for feeling.
In Vivian Dong's story, the question emerges: is Negative Five a pure potentiality or an impure potentiality? Is it an utter abstraction (an eternal object) or a lure for feeling? The answer is clear that, in her discovery of negative five, it is closely tied to her daily life, specifically to eating. Yet it carries with it the beauty of abstractions. It possesses a magical quality. It is possible that negative five, when considered by a mathematician, may be a pure potential. But in Vivian's life, it is a relevant potential, mixed in with her relations with family, friends, and food.
Here Whitehead's own terminology becomes problematic, if "pure" in any way connotes separation from daily life. There is something profoundly good, profoundly "pure," about mathematics when intertwined with daily life, lying midway between the highly abstract and the completely concrete. In this ostensive impurity, there is a beauty, a wonder that ignites her imagination and infuses her daily life. The beauty of mathematics is not simply the beauty of utter abstraction; it is the beauty of relevant possibility.
Process thinkers find value in beauty. Patricia Adams Farmer speaks of five kinds of beauty: natural beauty, moral beauty, artistic beauty, soul beauty, and tragic beauty. To these five kinds, a sixth can be added: mathematical beauty or, in the case of the story below, the beauty of numbers, including negative five. The beauty is abstract but also closely tied to daily life, felt relationships, and struggle. The 'mental pole' and the 'physical pole' of experience are united; the discovery of intellectual beauty comes through ordinary life, not apart from it.
Enjoy the story by Vivian Dong, one of my former students.
- Jay McDaniel