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Although I no longer subscribe the editorial pages of the WSJ have always been notoriously conservative.

As to Trump his margin of victory came and may come again from people that are NOT fanatical.

Although I won’t vote for Trump I also cannot vote for Biden either, metaphorically the only difference is Biden gives you an opioid laced ice cream cone before screwing you over. Illustratively that holds true in both Gaza and domestically in the US.

Regardless, this country has some hard times in front of it.

The divine matrix; creativity as a link between east and west

By Joseph Bracken

This doesn’t answer your question but perhaps approaches it not from a finite set but from the infinite.

From our finite objective immortality we can create an infinity of possibilities, but not an infinity of infinities.

Language is a simple example of this, from a finite set of rules, letters, phonemes, and words we can say anything but not every combination means something.

I’m not a philosopher, but I think this goes to the traditions of structuralism and semiotics.

Another example Whitehead does not address is that of organism and food, whether that food be vegetable or animal.

There are many levels of actual occasions. My thinking is that they get fuzzier the deeper you go. For modern science the lowest levels we know of are elementary particles and quarks. I do believe you can see that you can see increased ‘fuzziness’ from particles to quarks.

Whitehead’s speculative concept of societies goes to this, but a lot of detail is missing.

Personally I am trying to apply my knowledge of physics and biology into a Whiteheadian framework. As such I’m trying to develop my internal model by interpreting my science knowledge through whitehead and whitehead through science.

I am not deeply read in theology but I found the book from Catherine Keller, ‘On the Face of the Deep’ to be a mystically illuminating take on this question.

Abstractly I am also attempting to organize the levels with the philosophy of Hegel and the concept of holarchy. That’s also a deep, and complex, subject unto itself.

Thank you Dr Davis, Kathleen.

I’m particularly interested in the process thought relationship to physics and currently plan on doing my course paper on that subject.

I am familiar with Tripp from his recent process thought series which I attended. I’ll check those out.

Thanks again.

Hi Zhenbao-

You might recall me from attendance at your process pop up, most likely the December 6, 2022 event. As such I may have the honor of being your first US student.

More substantively I also share your interest in the intersection of meditation and health. The Mind and Life Institute founded by the Dalai Lama and the pioneering neuroscientist Francesco Varela has been a great resource for me.

The US branch of M&L is well connected to Federal funding sources. Most of their associated research focuses on stress reduction but some forays into direct physical health have been made, including reducing inflammation.

Unfortunately I am currently also facing legal issues associated with my health. That’s a much longer story, but also one with some international aspects.

Do health issues my ability to focus on more issues is limited but I do look forward to diving deeper in your work. I definitely have some further thoughts on the interaction between meditation and health informed by my connection with M&L and am also very active in my patient community. I am also lightly read in Chinese thought.

If I might recommend a book by Francesco Varela’s student Evan Thompson Waking Dreaming Being. Although the neuroscience is dated the book reads like an inspirational religious text but completely in scientific language. The book is also a good introduction to the historical roots of Mind and Life scientific practice.

It was a Science and Spirituality conference that Teresa organized which brought me here. And introduced me to CIIS professor, and certificate instructor, Matt Segall.

I believe that Hosinski is making the point that our subjective experience is also based on the objective reality of our senses.

If I am getting this right causal efficacy is just that process.

Certainly the objective – subjective has many
layers of depth.

Generally my take on Whitehead is not to put too much certainty in his words. He is, in his own words, speculating. To follow the metaphor from Dr Davis flying with Whitehead covers a lot of ground.

I don’t think philosophers give enough credit to Whitehead’s reliance on modern physics, although it is implicit.

I really liked Hosinski’s session one readings, but the reliance on common sense in these two chapters is perhaps overdone.

This material is some of the hardest to master in Whitehead, and perhaps the most speculative on his part.

Professor Davis does an excellent job at navigating these issues. I look forward to his take.

I was significantly impacted as a young man by your part of the world.

I spent the spring semester of my junior year in high school in Oakridge Tennessee, not far from Knoxville.

I was there to train for whitewater slalom competition with a mentor from Oregon just starting out at the national labs. That included competition in North Carolina, Nantahala on a few occasions.

Also, my first ever College party was at UT!

I definitely need to read Science and the Modern World where those connections are discussed.

My personal ‘airplane’ has metaphorically touched down on some of these traditions notably also indigenous wisdom as in the Biology professor Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass and deep ecology as in Abrams’ Spell of the Sensuous and Becoming Animal.

I recognized your name as an authoritative voice, though I couldn’t recall from where. I suspect it’s from the Cobb Tuesday conversations but perhaps other citations?

Electric infrastructure is a minor interest of mine and I am lightly read on the topic.

Our resort/rural county has started implementing micro grids and is on the verge of making them a major part of our infrastructure and community.

It’s that second part, community, where my avocational interests lie. I would hope they are well influenced by process thought.

A path worth walking for sure.

I myself was raised as a ‘godless atheist’ but have found my way to this trail.

Perhaps we have a lure to heaven from the eternal objects of our ancestors??