A Word about Rivers: A river can consist of many branches rather than having a single main branch. The structure of a river can be quite complex, including multiple channels, tributaries, distributaries, and braided sections. In many cases, a river starts with a network of smaller streams and tributaries that merge to form the main channel, while in other cases, the river splits into several branches as it flows, especially in river deltas or braided river systems. This branching can occur due to a variety of geological, hydrological, and environmental factors. So, rivers are not limited to having a single main branch; they can have multiple interconnected pathways
The Global Process Community:
A River with Twelve Tributaries
Jay McDaniel
If you wanted to introduce the process movement to people, it would be natural and common to begin with its ideas. Indeed, that's how I've approached it in my book, What is Process Thought?
However, this time, I want to start with its people—the global process community—and then move to the ideas. My aim is to dispel the notion that process thought is primarily about metaphysics as explored in academic settings, with others, the non-academics such as artists, educators, counselors, and entrepreneurs, as an afterthought. Instead, the process community is a living, evolving movement deeply shaped by the individuals who embody and share its vision and hopes. The global process community consists of many people around the world who are drawn to a process-relational way of understanding the world and way of living. In order to imagine the community as a whole, we can imagine it as a living garden, an ecosystem, a fungal network, or a river system.
The value of imagining the process community as a river system is twofold. First, the image includes within it the image of water, with its inherent fluidity. Second, a river can have many branches, with no main branch but with multiple connected pathways. Let the process system as a whole, the process river, be the interconnected flow of ideas, creativity, and transformation. The process community consists of people are part of the overall movement of the river, drawing sustenance from the river's flow. Ideally, there's a constant exchange, interaction, and mixing of waters, such that the river itself is evolving. Thus the process community - the process river, so to speak - is itself evolving. Here, then, are twelve tributaries or branches of the process river. Different branches are important to different people relative to different contexts.
No Need to Rank the Branches
These branches are not listed in terms of importance. It is a serious mistake to think of the academics as more important to the movement than, say, the artists and creatives, or the social activists, or the mystics. The process movement is not a top-down movement where ideas come first and actions follow. Most process thinkers know that good ideas come from the ground up, from practice and experience, and that they can change over time. These twelve tributaries symbolize the diversity and richness of the Process Movement. Each contributes uniquely to the health and vitality of the overall flow, illustrating how the interconnected community draws strength from its shared ideas, creativity, and collective growth.
Toward what does the river flow?
Of course the question remains. Toward what does the river flow? It flows toward an aspirational ideal, a hope that Philip Clayton and others call an Ecological Civilization. This vision is of a culture in which people live with respect and care for one another and the larger community of life, committed to building and sustaining communities—both rural and urban—that are creative, compassionate, participatory, diverse, inclusive, humane to animals, and good for the earth, ensuring that no one is left behind. They see all of creation—the earth and the heavens—as alive in some deep sense, interconnected in countless ways, and drawn toward the creation of beauty, with respect and care, curiosity and delight, as predominant forms of that beauty.
Importance of Metaphysics
In some branches of the process community, the metaphysics articulated by Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, and related thinkers is foundational and central. They emphasize the idea that a healthy civilization, an ecological civilization, needs a metaphysic, a framework of ideas, that lend themselves to its creation and flourishing. For them, the value of a process metaphysic is that it is coherent, plausible, integrative of insights from academic disciplines (science and the humanities) in a way that is truthful, nourishing, and inspiring, In other branches, the metaphysics is less emphasized, and the community is instead oriented around the core practical ideas, such as relationality, creativity, and openness, without needing the metaphysical framework. Jay McDaniel's "20 key ideas" can serve as a reference for these core concepts.
Different branches of the process community also have varying definitions of success. In some, success is measured through traditional academic accomplishments, such as publishing books and articles, or through broader academic engagement. In other branches, success is not tied to these kinds of achievements but instead may be based on personal growth, community impact, or the embodiment of process values in everyday life.
Nine Shared Ideas
The process community is held together by several core values and principles that guide its thinking and actions. Here are some of the key elements.
1. Interconnectedness
2. Creativity and Novelty
3. Inclusivity and Pluralism
4. Value of Experience
5. Ecological Awareness
6. Justice and Compassion
7. God as Relational and Persuasive
8. Process of Becoming
9. Peace and Zest for Life
Whither the Process Movement?
The future of the process movement remains uncertain. It is a small but significant part of a larger, global aspiration for a better way of living in the world and understanding it. With its unique metaphysical perspective, the process movement contributes meaningfully without insisting that everyone must adopt its views. It thrives on collaboration with others who share the vision of an ecological civilization and the understanding that all things are interconnected and ever-evolving. Its openness, humility, and willingness to partner with kindred movements make it an important voice in the search for a more harmonious and sustainable future. The future of the process movement, at all levels - academic, psychological, activist, artistic, religious, secular - depends on the capacities of its communities to join others of a similar mindset and heart-set, in such hopes.
However, this time, I want to start with its people—the global process community—and then move to the ideas. My aim is to dispel the notion that process thought is primarily about metaphysics as explored in academic settings, with others, the non-academics such as artists, educators, counselors, and entrepreneurs, as an afterthought. Instead, the process community is a living, evolving movement deeply shaped by the individuals who embody and share its vision and hopes. The global process community consists of many people around the world who are drawn to a process-relational way of understanding the world and way of living. In order to imagine the community as a whole, we can imagine it as a living garden, an ecosystem, a fungal network, or a river system.
The value of imagining the process community as a river system is twofold. First, the image includes within it the image of water, with its inherent fluidity. Second, a river can have many branches, with no main branch but with multiple connected pathways. Let the process system as a whole, the process river, be the interconnected flow of ideas, creativity, and transformation. The process community consists of people are part of the overall movement of the river, drawing sustenance from the river's flow. Ideally, there's a constant exchange, interaction, and mixing of waters, such that the river itself is evolving. Thus the process community - the process river, so to speak - is itself evolving. Here, then, are twelve tributaries or branches of the process river. Different branches are important to different people relative to different contexts.
- Philosophers and Academics: Scholars who engage with the foundational concepts of process thought. They contribute depth and coherence to the flow of ideas, exploring the metaphysical underpinnings and providing rigorous intellectual frameworks. They ensure the theoretical integrity of the movement, help articulate its core principles, and bridge the gap between abstract thought and practical application.
- Theologians and Religious Practitioners: Those who interpret and apply process thought through the lenses of various religious traditions. They nurture the spiritual dimensions of process thought, exploring its implications for faith, worship, pastoral care, and interfaith dialogue. These practitioners emphasize a dynamic, relational understanding of the divine that encourages personal growth and a deep sense of interconnectedness with others and the cosmos.
- Environmentalists and Advocates for Ecological Civilization: Activists focused on ecological sustainability, who view all forms of life as interconnected and inherently valuable. They draw inspiration from process thought’s relational ontology to advocate for the protection and flourishing of the planet. Their work spans environmental education, community-driven sustainability initiatives, policy advocacy, and grassroots activism, aiming to create an ecologically conscious civilization.
- Artists and Creatives: Musicians, poets, visual artists, and performers who embody the principle of "creative advance" by bringing novel expressions into the movement. They use their art to capture the beauty, fluidity, and interconnected nature of life, offering experiential and emotional dimensions to the Process Movement. Their work also invites others to engage creatively with the world, emphasizing the importance of beauty and imagination in shaping a more meaningful existence.
- Social Activists and Advocates for Justice: Individuals driven by a passion for relational justice, equality, and compassion. They use process principles to challenge oppressive systems and foster more equitable societies. This tributary includes activists working on issues such as poverty, racial justice, gender equality, and systemic discrimination, drawing on the process vision of mutual flourishing and interconnectedness to create a more just and compassionate world.
- Scientists and Mathematicians: Those who explore the relationship between process thought and scientific discoveries. They engage with fields such as quantum physics, complexity theory, cosmology, and evolutionary biology, finding resonances between scientific inquiry and the philosophical ideas of process thought. These individuals contribute to a deeper understanding of the universe as an evolving web of relationships, offering insights into how science and philosophy can complement and enrich one another.
- Counselors, Therapists, and Spiritual Guides: Practitioners who use the relational principles of process thought to foster healing, growth, and well-being. They view individuals as deeply interconnected with their environments, relationships, and histories. Drawing on the dynamic nature of process thought, they help clients navigate trauma, personal growth, and relational challenges, offering compassionate guidance and fostering holistic transformation.
- Community Builders and Practitioners of Everyday Life: People who apply process ideas in their daily lives to create resilient and vibrant communities. This tributary includes educators, parents, local organizers, and others focused on cultivating practices of mutual care, relational living, and shared flourishing. They emphasize small, everyday actions that foster connectedness, creativity, and community well-being, believing that these practices are fundamental to building a more compassionate and harmonious society.
- Bridge-Builders and Interdisciplinary Thinkers: Those who seek to integrate insights from various disciplines, connecting seemingly disparate fields such as science, art, theology, and social sciences. They work to create dialogue between different domains, fostering collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems. These thinkers help articulate the relevance of process ideas across multiple areas of inquiry and practice, showing how interconnected perspectives can address today’s challenges more effectively.
- Mystics and Contemplatives: Individuals who explore the experiential and mystical aspects of process thought. They engage in meditation, contemplation, and other spiritual practices to deepen their sense of connection with the divine and the cosmos. For them, process thought provides a language to articulate their experience of the divine as relational, dynamic, and intimately involved in the unfolding of life. They contribute to the spiritual depth of the movement, emphasizing the importance of inner transformation and harmony.
- Educators and Teachers: Those who apply process thought to nurture creativity, critical thinking, and relational learning in educational settings. They view students as evolving beings whose growth involves not just intellectual understanding but emotional and relational development. These educators create learning environments that encourage curiosity, empathy, and collaboration, fostering holistic growth and preparing students to engage constructively with the evolving world around them.
- Entrepreneurs and Innovators: Visionaries who bring process values into the world of business and innovation. They focus on ethical business practices, sustainable development, and the well-being of employees and communities. These individuals view their ventures as opportunities to foster creativity, relationality, and positive social impact. They innovate not only in their products or services but also in their organizational structures, aiming to create business models that reflect the interconnected, adaptive nature of process thought.
No Need to Rank the Branches
These branches are not listed in terms of importance. It is a serious mistake to think of the academics as more important to the movement than, say, the artists and creatives, or the social activists, or the mystics. The process movement is not a top-down movement where ideas come first and actions follow. Most process thinkers know that good ideas come from the ground up, from practice and experience, and that they can change over time. These twelve tributaries symbolize the diversity and richness of the Process Movement. Each contributes uniquely to the health and vitality of the overall flow, illustrating how the interconnected community draws strength from its shared ideas, creativity, and collective growth.
Toward what does the river flow?
Of course the question remains. Toward what does the river flow? It flows toward an aspirational ideal, a hope that Philip Clayton and others call an Ecological Civilization. This vision is of a culture in which people live with respect and care for one another and the larger community of life, committed to building and sustaining communities—both rural and urban—that are creative, compassionate, participatory, diverse, inclusive, humane to animals, and good for the earth, ensuring that no one is left behind. They see all of creation—the earth and the heavens—as alive in some deep sense, interconnected in countless ways, and drawn toward the creation of beauty, with respect and care, curiosity and delight, as predominant forms of that beauty.
Importance of Metaphysics
In some branches of the process community, the metaphysics articulated by Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, and related thinkers is foundational and central. They emphasize the idea that a healthy civilization, an ecological civilization, needs a metaphysic, a framework of ideas, that lend themselves to its creation and flourishing. For them, the value of a process metaphysic is that it is coherent, plausible, integrative of insights from academic disciplines (science and the humanities) in a way that is truthful, nourishing, and inspiring, In other branches, the metaphysics is less emphasized, and the community is instead oriented around the core practical ideas, such as relationality, creativity, and openness, without needing the metaphysical framework. Jay McDaniel's "20 key ideas" can serve as a reference for these core concepts.
Different branches of the process community also have varying definitions of success. In some, success is measured through traditional academic accomplishments, such as publishing books and articles, or through broader academic engagement. In other branches, success is not tied to these kinds of achievements but instead may be based on personal growth, community impact, or the embodiment of process values in everyday life.
Nine Shared Ideas
The process community is held together by several core values and principles that guide its thinking and actions. Here are some of the key elements.
1. Interconnectedness
- Relationality: A central belief is that everything in the universe is interconnected. Relationships are foundational, and the world is made up of interdependent events rather than isolated entities.
2. Creativity and Novelty
- Creative Advance: The value of creativity is emphasized, with an ongoing commitment to novelty and transformation. The universe is seen as a continuous process of becoming, where each moment is an opportunity for new possibilities.
3. Inclusivity and Pluralism
- Diversity: Process thought values the diversity of people, perspectives, and experiences. It welcomes insights from many traditions, including science, philosophy, and world religions.
- Open and Relational Approach: This openness fosters an environment where ideas are not rigid but evolving, and relationships are key to growth.
4. Value of Experience
- Experiential Knowledge: Process philosophy holds that lived experience, including emotions and embodied encounters, is essential for understanding reality. It resists overly abstract or detached understandings of the world, emphasizing a first-person, experiential depth.
5. Ecological Awareness
- Care for the Planet: There is a deep sense of ecological responsibility. The process community values sustainability, recognizing that human actions are part of the broader web of life and impact the health of ecosystems.
6. Justice and Compassion
- Social and Ecological Justice: A commitment to justice, both social and ecological, underpins the community's activities. The aim is to challenge oppressive systems and build just, loving, and sustainable communities.
- Healing and Wholeness: There is also a strong focus on healing—helping individuals and communities recover from trauma and brokenness, often through a shared sense of vulnerability and compassion.
7. God as Relational and Persuasive
- Lure Toward Goodness: God is understood not as a coercive force but as a relational presence that "lures" toward goodness, beauty, and truth. The community finds meaning in cooperating with these divine lures to bring about a better world.
8. Process of Becoming
- Growth and Change: The idea that individuals and communities are always "in process," evolving and growing, is crucial. The goal is not static perfection but ongoing transformation and improvement.
9. Peace and Zest for Life
- Love of Life: Drawing from thinkers like Alfred North Whitehead, the community holds a zest for life as a vital quality—appreciating beauty, adventure, and the richness of experience.
- Peace as Harmony of Harmonies: Peace is understood as an ongoing process of integrating different experiences, perspectives, and emotions into a creative, harmonious whole.
Whither the Process Movement?
The future of the process movement remains uncertain. It is a small but significant part of a larger, global aspiration for a better way of living in the world and understanding it. With its unique metaphysical perspective, the process movement contributes meaningfully without insisting that everyone must adopt its views. It thrives on collaboration with others who share the vision of an ecological civilization and the understanding that all things are interconnected and ever-evolving. Its openness, humility, and willingness to partner with kindred movements make it an important voice in the search for a more harmonious and sustainable future. The future of the process movement, at all levels - academic, psychological, activist, artistic, religious, secular - depends on the capacities of its communities to join others of a similar mindset and heart-set, in such hopes.