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Doğa ve Yaşam
Alfred North Whitehead’in 1933’te Chicago’da verdiği iki konferanstan oluşan bu eser, doğadaki değişimler ve süreklilikler arasındaki ilişkiselliği ve bütünsel bir yaşam mefhumunun temellerini konu alıyor. Birinci konferansta Whitehead, doğayı, ortodoks öğretiler dediği klasik mekân anlayışları dışındaki bir düşünce sahnesinde yeniden düşünmenin olanaklarını araştırıyor. Klasik mekân anlayışlarının ve genel olarak atomcu öğretinin boş mekân ile onu dolduran madde zerreleri arasında kurduğu bağlantının zayıflığını sergiledikten sonra, faaliyet ve süreç eksenlerine oturan bir doğa mefhumu geliştiriyor. Bu yeniden düşünme, doğayı bir süreç olarak kavrama girişiminde duyu-algısını temel hareket noktası olarak alıyor ve modern ontolojinin bazı ana dayanaklarına itiraz ediyor. Doğa, kendini, birbirinden tecrit edilmiş varlıkların yığını olarak değil, kendini ifade etme süreçleri içerisinde başkalaşan ilişki öbekleri biçiminde sunar. Buradaki kritik nokta, Whitehead’in “hâl” dediği ve onun ontolojisinin kurucu kavramlarından biri olan bu öbeklerin birbirlerine mekân ve zamanda sağladıkları açıklıktır.
Bu eleştiri ve argümanlarla bağlantılı olarak ikinci konferansta ilişkisel bir yaşam mefhumu geliştiren Whitehead’e göre doğa ile yaşam, modern felsefenin başlangıcından beri bir bölünme içine sokulmuştur. Özne, kendini, bedeninden ve maddi doğadan bağımsız bir varlıkmışçasına kurmuştur. Değerler dünyası ile maddi dünya arasına aşılmaz sınırlar çekilmiştir. Ancak bu bölünmeyi aşmanın araçları düşüncede mevcuttur ve Whitehead bu araçları organizma felsefesi etrafında geliştirir. Bunun için ilkin amaç ile süreç arasındaki organik bağ keşfedilmelidir. Bedeni yok sayan felsefi geleneğin ruhsuzlaştırdığı dünya, süreç ve faaliyet olarak kavranmalıdır. İşte yaşam, ancak o zaman, içerisinde dinamik bir evren ilkesi şeklinde işleyen karşılıklı bağlantılar ve bir dayanışma bloğu olarak anlaşılabilir.
Bu eleştiri ve argümanlarla bağlantılı olarak ikinci konferansta ilişkisel bir yaşam mefhumu geliştiren Whitehead’e göre doğa ile yaşam, modern felsefenin başlangıcından beri bir bölünme içine sokulmuştur. Özne, kendini, bedeninden ve maddi doğadan bağımsız bir varlıkmışçasına kurmuştur. Değerler dünyası ile maddi dünya arasına aşılmaz sınırlar çekilmiştir. Ancak bu bölünmeyi aşmanın araçları düşüncede mevcuttur ve Whitehead bu araçları organizma felsefesi etrafında geliştirir. Bunun için ilkin amaç ile süreç arasındaki organik bağ keşfedilmelidir. Bedeni yok sayan felsefi geleneğin ruhsuzlaştırdığı dünya, süreç ve faaliyet olarak kavranmalıdır. İşte yaşam, ancak o zaman, içerisinde dinamik bir evren ilkesi şeklinde işleyen karşılıklı bağlantılar ve bir dayanışma bloğu olarak anlaşılabilir.
- GenresPhilosophy
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
3 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Alfred North Whitehead
131 books450 followersAlfred North Whitehead, OM FRS (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found application to a wide variety of disciplines, including ecology, theology, education, physics, biology, economics, and psychology, among other areas.
In his early career Whitehead wrote primarily on mathematics, logic, and physics. His most notable work in these fields is the three-volume Principia Mathematica (1910–13), which he co-wrote with former student Bertrand Russell. Principia Mathematica is considered one of the twentieth century's most important works in mathematical logic, and placed 23rd in a list of the top 100 English-language nonfiction books of the twentieth century by Modern Library.
Beginning in the late 1910s and early 1920s, Whitehead gradually turned his attention from mathematics to philosophy of science, and finally to metaphysics. He developed a comprehensive metaphysical system which radically departed from most of western philosophy. Whitehead argued that reality was fundamentally constructed by events rather than substances, and that these events cannot be defined apart from their relations to other events, thus rejecting the theory of independently existing substances. Today Whitehead's philosophical works – particularly Process and Reality – are regarded as the foundational texts of process philosophy.
Whitehead's process philosophy argues that "there is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have consequences for the world around us." For this reason, one of the most promising applications of Whitehead's thought in recent years has been in the area of ecological civilization and environmental ethics pioneered by John B. Cobb, Jr.
Isabelle Stengers wrote that "Whiteheadians are recruited among both philosophers and theologians, and the palette has been enriched by practitioners from the most diverse horizons, from ecology to feminism, practices that unite political struggle and spirituality with the sciences of education." Indeed, in recent decades attention to Whitehead's work has become more widespread, with interest extending to intellectuals in Europe and China, and coming from such diverse fields as ecology, physics, biology, education, economics, and psychology. However, it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that Whitehead's thought drew much attention outside of a small group of American philosophers and theologians, and even today he is not considered especially influential outside of relatively specialized circles.
In recent years, Whiteheadian thought has become a stimulating influence in scientific research.
In physics particularly, Whitehead's thought has been influential, articulating a rival doctrine to Albert Einstein's general relativity. Whitehead's theory of gravitation continues to be controversial. Even Yutaka Tanaka, who suggests that the gravitational constant disagrees with experimental findings, admits that Einstein's work does not actually refute Whitehead's formulation. Also, although Whitehead himself gave only secondary consideration to quantum theory, his metaphysics of events has proved attractive to physicists in that field. Henry Stapp and David Bohm are among those whose work has been influenced by Whitehead.
Whitehead is widely known for his influence in education theory. His philosophy inspired the formation of the Association for Process Philosophy of Education (APPE), which published eleven volumes of a journal titled Process Papers on process philosophy and education from 1996 to 2008. Whitehead's theories on education also led to the formation of new modes of learning and new models of teaching.
In his early career Whitehead wrote primarily on mathematics, logic, and physics. His most notable work in these fields is the three-volume Principia Mathematica (1910–13), which he co-wrote with former student Bertrand Russell. Principia Mathematica is considered one of the twentieth century's most important works in mathematical logic, and placed 23rd in a list of the top 100 English-language nonfiction books of the twentieth century by Modern Library.
Beginning in the late 1910s and early 1920s, Whitehead gradually turned his attention from mathematics to philosophy of science, and finally to metaphysics. He developed a comprehensive metaphysical system which radically departed from most of western philosophy. Whitehead argued that reality was fundamentally constructed by events rather than substances, and that these events cannot be defined apart from their relations to other events, thus rejecting the theory of independently existing substances. Today Whitehead's philosophical works – particularly Process and Reality – are regarded as the foundational texts of process philosophy.
Whitehead's process philosophy argues that "there is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have consequences for the world around us." For this reason, one of the most promising applications of Whitehead's thought in recent years has been in the area of ecological civilization and environmental ethics pioneered by John B. Cobb, Jr.
Isabelle Stengers wrote that "Whiteheadians are recruited among both philosophers and theologians, and the palette has been enriched by practitioners from the most diverse horizons, from ecology to feminism, practices that unite political struggle and spirituality with the sciences of education." Indeed, in recent decades attention to Whitehead's work has become more widespread, with interest extending to intellectuals in Europe and China, and coming from such diverse fields as ecology, physics, biology, education, economics, and psychology. However, it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that Whitehead's thought drew much attention outside of a small group of American philosophers and theologians, and even today he is not considered especially influential outside of relatively specialized circles.
In recent years, Whiteheadian thought has become a stimulating influence in scientific research.
In physics particularly, Whitehead's thought has been influential, articulating a rival doctrine to Albert Einstein's general relativity. Whitehead's theory of gravitation continues to be controversial. Even Yutaka Tanaka, who suggests that the gravitational constant disagrees with experimental findings, admits that Einstein's work does not actually refute Whitehead's formulation. Also, although Whitehead himself gave only secondary consideration to quantum theory, his metaphysics of events has proved attractive to physicists in that field. Henry Stapp and David Bohm are among those whose work has been influenced by Whitehead.
Whitehead is widely known for his influence in education theory. His philosophy inspired the formation of the Association for Process Philosophy of Education (APPE), which published eleven volumes of a journal titled Process Papers on process philosophy and education from 1996 to 2008. Whitehead's theories on education also led to the formation of new modes of learning and new models of teaching.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 1, 2016
Astonishingly straightforward conceptualization of a complex topic. Too short to really be a book, the lectures remain energizing and insightful.
January 27, 2024
dili muğlak ve sunduğu argümanlar ise belirsiz geldi. okunmaya değer olup olmadığı konusunda şüpheliyim.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews