Process Cosmology: New Integrations in Science and Philosophy

Description

This book newly articulates the international and interdisciplinary reach of Whitehead's organic process cosmology for a variety of topics across science and philosophy, and in dialogue with a variety of historical and contemporary voices. Integrating Whitehead's thought with the insights of Bergson, James, Pierce, Merleau-Ponty, Descola, Fuchs, Hofmann, Grof and many others, contributors from around the world reveal the relevance of process philosophy to physics, cosmology, astrobiology, ecology, metaphysics, aesthetics, psychedelics, and religion. A global collection, this book expresses multivocal possibilities for the development of process cosmology after Whitehead. Acknowledgements Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables 1: Introduction: Mediations for Process Cosmology Whitehead’s Philosophy: Inheritance, Inclusiveness and Subversion Mediating the Past: The Examples of Plato and Newton Mediations for the Future: Whitehead and Beyond Part I: Physics and Cosmology Part II: Ontology and Ecology Part III: Plurality and Perspectivism Part IV: Possibility and Mentality Part V: Temporality and Creativity Part VI: Experience and Reality References Part I: Physics and Cosmology 2: Process Physics: Toward an Organismic, Neo-Whiteheadian Physics Introduction From Contemporary Mainstream Physics to Process Physics From Outside to Inside the System-to-be-Observed Mainstream Physics and the Info-computational Approach to Empirical Observation From External “information-for-us” to Internal “information-for-the-process-itself” Process Physics: How Does It Work? Process Physics: “Routine of Nature” “Landscape of Connection Strengths” Emergent 3D Network of Branching Structures and the Appearance of Matter Gravitation as a Process-Informational In-flow Effect Conclusion References 3: Extending Whiteheadian Organic Cosmology to a Comprehensive Science of Nature Nature Fundamentally Consist of Activities The Problem of Activity The Origin of Physical Laws The Principle of Least Action (PLA) and the Origin of Physical Laws The Universal Principle of Biology: Bauer’s Principle The Fundamental Principle of Biology: The Principle of Greatest Action (PGA) The Anthropic Principle and the Principle of Greatest Action On Gaia Theory A Few Words About the Helios Theory Scientific Breakthroughs Toward Life: The Origin of Life On the Origin of the First Cell on Earth Astrobiology and the Origin of Life’s Complex Ingredients in Cosmic Space On Scientific Confirmations of Whitehead’s Organic Cosmology References 4: Outlines of a Speculative Cosmology: Whitehead’s Philosophy of Organism Meets Descola’s Four Anthropological Dispositions Toward Nature Forward Approaching Whitehead’s Categoreal Scheme A Sketch of Epistemology After Whitehead Approaching Descola’s Quadruple Scheme of Anthropological Dispositions Toward Nature Naturalism and Animism: Between Equal Interiorities or Physicalities Totemism and Analogism: The Fluid Transit of Differences Excursus on Considering the New Religious Studies Toward an Analogist Ontodynamics Conclusion: Outlines of a Second-Order Analogism References Part II: Ontology and Ecology 5: The Ontology of Ecology References 6: A Universe of Subjects: Process Cosmology and Deep Ecology Deep Ecology An Ecological Erasure of Self A Universe of Subjects (and Objects) Beyond Biocentric Equality A Deeper Ecology References 7: Eastern Traditions, Western Science and Whitehead Introduction Why Consider Eastern Traditions Now? What Is Changing in Science? What Is to Be Done? References Part III: Plurality and Perspectivism 8: Cosmology and Mesology: Alfred North Whitehead and the Plurality of Worlds Introduction The Situation Process and Reality Worlds and Mesons References 9: Cosmic Epochs of Vigorous Order References 10: Truth and Reality in Whitehead’s Metaphysics The Principle of Process The Ontological Principle The Principle of Relativity The Subjectivist Principle Panexperientialism The Principle of Perspective God Truth and Reality References Part IV: Possibility and Mentality 11: Rethinking Whitehead’s Cosmology Through the Cosmogonic Philosophy of C.S. Peirce: Speculation on the Origins of the Actual and the Metaphysical Primacy of the Possible The Metaphysics of Actuality: On the Arche, Origin, or Ground of Being Actuality, Order and the Call to Explain On the Primacy of Actuality in Whitehead’s Cosmology Actuality and the Presupposition of Order in Whitehead’s Cosmology Another Guess at the Riddle: Actuality, Existence and the Metaphysics of the Possible The Metaphysics of the Possible: Reorienting Whitehead’s Cosmology (and Metaphysics) The Metaphysics of the Possible and Kaufmann’s Creative Universe References 12: Jamesian Gifts and Whiteheadian Data: Selecting a Future Jamesian Gifts: The Chance of Futurity & Emotive Elements Whiteheadian Data and Selectiveness Enlarged Selectiveness, Responsiveness, and Perspectives References 13: A Process-Oriented Approach to Mental Causation References Part V: Temporality and Creativity 14: Grasping Epochal Time: A Process Phenomenological Approach Murdering to Dissect: Whitehead and Merleau-Ponty on the Bifurcation of Nature A Footrace to Parmenides: Simple Location and the Spatialization of Time La Durée: Bifurcation or Continuity? Schneider and the Tortoise: An Eleatic Fallacy? Naturalizing the Reduction: The Gestalt Character of Epochal Time Mixing Metaphors: Visualizing an Aural and “Ragged” Time Is Epochal Time Within or Beyond Bergson? References 15: Bergson: From Virtual Action to the Melody of Time Humanity and Its World An Ontology of Movement Bergsonian Justifications for the Mismatch Between Practical Life and Reality The Bergsonian Proposal for Bridging This Mismatch The Bergsonian Duration Reflections on Auditive and Visual Experiences References 16: Whitehead and Bergson on Creativity and Stagnation in Art Introduction Attained Perfection and Creative Joy Truth: Nature and Emotions The Relationship to the Future Conclusion References Part VI: Experience and Reality 17: Exceptional Human Experience and the Potential for New Cosmology Durée and Drops Hofmann’s Discovery An Intellectual Laboratory Time Subjective Form Perpetual Perishing Intensification of Experience Conclusion References 18: A Thicker Process Cosmology The Philosophy of Organism Whitehead’s Cosmological Vision Extraordinary Evidence Grof’s Research and Theories Process Cosmology: Thickening Things Up References 19: Whiteheadian Cosmotheology: Platonic Entities, Divine Realities and Shared Extraterrestrial Values Introduction Universals and the Platonic Lineage: Problems and Questions Experience with Truth: Mathematics, Logic and Rational Comprehension Experience with Beauty: Elegance, Aesthetics and Excess Experience with Goodness: Morality as “Objective Requiredness” Presuppositional Imperatives and the Reality of Non-sensory Perception The Ontological Principle and Panentheism Divinely Shared Extraterrestrial Values and Intergalactic Religion References Index