A Universe of Subjects: On Whitehead’s Philosophy of Organism

Wm. Andrew Schwartz (Claremont Graduate University)

October 18th, 2024 3:30pm - 5:00pm PST

Abstract:

What sort of “things” are there, and how are these “things” related? Such questions are foundational for metaphysics. How we answer these questions has extensive ramifications for the way we understand and relate to the world around us. In the history of Western thought, prominent pre-Socratic philosophers represented two distinct positions on the fundamental nature of reality. According to Parmenides, what is ultimately real is static Being. Change is an illusion. Heraclitus, on the other hand, argued that change itself is fundamental, claiming that permanence
is an illusion. But since the time of Plato, “substances” (characterized as permanent, perfect, indivisible, and independent) have been widely considered the most fundamental building blocks of reality. Substance-based ontologies prioritize being over becoming, permanence over change, independence over interdependence. Alfred North Whitehead’s philosophy of organism (a.k.a. process philosophy) provides an alternative paradigm. This lecture will introduce Whitehead’s philosophical scheme, with special attention to his argument for panpsychism and the implications for environmental ethics.