Replies

Thanks, Dr. Kling! These will make enlightening reading.

Thank you for your comments – this response was helpful to me. I think this dispelled my confusion:

But this “nature” has to be broader than what we were led to believe, hence the need for two definitions of nature, the larger correct meaning and the smaller incorrect meaning.

Thanks for the engagement!

Charles – Thanks for your input in all this! Just curious – which book by Lewis Ford were you referring to?

Dr. McDaniel – My plan is to read and reflect on the first two essays in Whitehead’s The Aims of Education, and use our course reading to reflect on it a bit, specifically the “Rhythm of Education” – romance, precision, generalization. It is supposed to be a short paper, so I do not want to let it get too long, but that progression from romance to precision to generalization is very intriguing in the context of other themes in Whitehead’s thought.

What do you think, Dr. McDaniel?

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks! I will check out some of those books.

Upon further reflection, I wonder if the relationship between Whitehead’s thought and Eastern thought might be less one of “influence” than “resonance”. It seems like Whitehead, in reaction to certain trends in then-modern Western philosophy, ends up in a place very similar to certain strands of Asian thought. Certain themes or emphases might rhyme, but are not historically “connected”. That was my question – I believe I misspoke above in my discussion of “indebtedness” – my apologies!

What I remain very interested in is whether anyone has set Process and Reality and the Tao Te Ching/Chuang Tzu side by side and let the two streams of thought combine and mingle and talk to one another. I’d buy that book. 🙂

Dr. McDaniel,

I am still waiting for the session to post on the webpage (I am sure it has to be cleaned up/formatted or something), but look forward to watching it eagerly.

Thank you so much for the book recommendations and bibliography links! This is exactly what I needed. I will be tracking down some of those book titles as I am able in the near future. Thanks for being willing to ask Ms. Moore for recommendations as well. I look forward to hearing what she says!

Best,
Ben Simmons