Jay McDaniel
A rich conversation on multiple ultimates. Thank you Gordon and Charles. As process thinkers develop their ideas, I think it important to pay attention, not only to the ontological considerations but also to on-the-ground sociology, where we do indeed find people centering their lives around a number of different realities which are, for them, ultimate. As these two concerns coalesce, I think we arrive at six realities around which they center their lives, each of which is ultimate in a different way: networks of connection (nation, family, community), the present moment, God, a creative abyss from which all things emerge, a realm of timeless forms (eternal objects), a plurality of archetypal spirits (polytheism). Whitehead’s philosophy offers a way of appreciating each of these, not reducing them to one another, and yet also seeing how they can be combined in various ways. For example, the spirits can be seen as theophanies or faces of God, as in certain forms of Hinduism, and the present moment can be seen as the place where the entire universe “becomes one” as in Zen. Also this way of thinking opens for door for recognizing various and different kinds of religious experience: e.g. bhakti traditions of devotion versus Buddhist traditions of awakening to the sheer connectedness of all things. In a book I wrote years ago, Gandhi’s Hope, I proposed four ultimates: God, Creativity, Connectedness, and the Present Moment. I was thinking metaphysically. But these days, when I add on the ground realities, I come up with at least six. Also, important to keep in mind that religion, whatever it is, is not necessarily about ultimates at all. One of our leading process thinkers, Rabbi Bradley Artson, thinks that a preoccupation with ultimates gets in the way of understanding what’s really important in religious life: community, ritual, fidelity to bonds of relationship, etc. He thinks that adding the word “ultimate,” even to God, is sometimes a distraction from lived religion.
Kyle, I think it would be great to focus on film in general, or a particular film in particular. I encourage you to take a look at the film reviews in Open Horizons, much influenced by Spirituality and Practice, and see if there’s a film they reviewed which resonates with you, too. Here’s the link in Open Horizons: https://www.openhorizons.org/art-and-music.html. And for a much more inclusive catalog of films and film reviews, go to Spirituality and Practice itself: https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/. They have reviewed thousands of films. And for the connection between their work and process, please see our slideshow on spirituality: https://cobb.institute/educators-toolbox/process-spirituality/. It shows how a process worldview links up with spirituality.
Ben, I think that sounds good. Because Lynn DeJonghe’s recent book, Starting with Whitehead, takes such a careful look at AI, I think you might want to make sure you’ve perused it: https://www.amazon.in/Starting-Whitehead-Raising-Children-Treacherous-ebook/dp/B0B7FQ2KTQ. But the key is for you to focus on education in whatever ways are good for you (and the world).
Jason and Kent, your projects sound fine. I look forward to working with you and learning from you. Thanks and please proceed. Jay
Jennifer, thanks for these questions.
With regard to decision, Whitehead’s view was that the vast majority of decisions are not conscious at all. They are involuntary in that sense. They are acts of cutting off certain possibilities in the moment at hand, and thereby actualizing others. This happens in the depths of atoms and in the involuntary actions of our bodies all the time. Why even call these “decisions”? For Whitehead, such acts reveal the contingency of the world. Things happen which could have been otherwise. An actuality is actualized, which could not have been actualized. He believes that this fact – the “could have been otherwise” part of life and the universe itself – is the essence of actuality. Even God must work with it. He uses the word “decision” in the root sense of “cutting off certain possibilities and actualizing others” as another name for that essence.
As for Trinitarianism, he does not seem to have thought the idea that God is Three important, so he didn’t have it formally in mind as he developed his idea of Go. However, he did think that historically the development of the idea by early Christians was important because it was an original (in the West) imagination of deep relationality. The idea of relationality began to spark our western imaginations with help from this idea. Also on the other hand, some Christian process theologians have tried to develop process Trinitarian view of God. Of course this is not important to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists. But, yes, Christian process theologians (Marjorie Suchocki, Joseph Bracken) have developed process Trinitarian perspectives.
Jennifer, thanks for these questions.
With regard to decision, Whitehead’s view was that the vast majority of decisions are not conscious at all. They are involuntary in that sense. They are acts of cutting off certain possibilities in the moment at hand, and thereby actualizing others. This happens in the depths of atoms and in the involuntary actions of our bodies all the time. Why even call these “decisions”? For Whitehead, such acts reveal the contingency of the world. Things happen which could have been otherwise. An actuality is actualized, which could not have been actualized. He believes that this fact – the “could have been otherwise” part of life and the universe itself – is the essence of actuality. Even God must work with it. He uses the word “decision” in the root sense of “cutting off certain possibilities and actualizing others” as another name for that essence.
As for Trinitarianism, he does not seem to have thought the idea that God is Three important, so he didn’t have it formally in mind as he developed his idea of Go. However, he did think that historically the development of the idea by early Christians was important because it was an original (in the West) imagination of deep relationality. The idea of relationality began to spark our western imaginations with help from this idea. Also on the other hand, some Christian process theologians have tried to develop process Trinitarian view of God. Of course this is not important to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists. But, yes, Christian process theologians (Marjorie Suchocki, Joseph Bracken) have developed process Trinitarian perspectives.
This is a very wise, meaningful, and helpful post, Joe. Your experience is something from which we can all learn and, yes, “over dinner” is itself a context for dialogue and creative transformation. For my part, I think of four things that help build relationships of trust: food, music, storytelling, and gardening. Not those four alone, but those four much included!
Thanks, Joe. Do you see fractals in gardens? In gardening? In helping at-risk youth discover felt bonds with soil and plants and sun? I do, too.
Thank you, Charles. I’m glad my approach to Jesus was helpful for you, and I am quite grateful for all that you’ve offered our discussions. You are a teacher par excellence!
On Jesus, my own views have expanded a bit. Here’s a more recent approach that builds upon what I said in the book, but also emphasizes other things as well:
https://www.openhorizons.org/i-felt-this-loving-presence-ten-ways-of-knowing-jesus.htmlThis link takes you to an essay by Henry Stapp called Quantum Mechanics, Local Causality, and Process Philosophy. He worked at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory,
University of California, Berkeley, California. He was the first to propose that Whitehead’s cosmology offers the best possible way of interpreting the physical dynamics of quantum mechanics. Perhaps this will be helpful, Kevin. I’m sure you can understand it much better than I!This link takes you to an essay by Henry Stapp called Quantum Mechanics, Local Causality, and Process Philosophy. He worked at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory,
University of California, Berkeley, California. He was the first to propose that Whitehead’s cosmology offers the best possible way of interpreting the physical dynamics of quantum mechanics. Perhaps this will be helpful, Kevin. I’m sure you can understand it much better than I!Michael, some (perhaps many) take the big bang as the best story we now have for understanding how our universe began, and see God as a lure toward novel forms of order, and ordered forms of novelty, from its very beginning, as well as being a companion to its unfolding. They would propose that the “bang” was itself not the first moment in time, but that the universe has unfolded in terms of cosmic epochs, of which there may be an infinite number, in which case there was not a first moment in time. God and the history of “universes” go back forever, with God always being a lure toward new forms of becoming, whatever the cosmic epoch at issue. However, there is some question these days, among physicists, as to how accurate the big bang story is. If it turns out that this account is not the best way to think about origins, process folks are OK with that. There was a lure toward becoming, whatever origin stories are told.
That is fine, Michael. Go for it.
I think Charles’ response to you was great, Jacqueline.
Leslie King, another student in our course, is going to do a project on Yoga and the process of concrescence. Jacqueline, you might reach out to her.
You may find this essay on Zen meditation and process helpful. It may help open some doors for linking meditation and discernment, too. https://www.openhorizons.org/zen-meditation-whitehead-and-god.html
Also this essay on Tai Chi: https://www.openhorizons.org/breathing-with-the-universe-process-theology-and-tai-ji.html
Thanks, Scott. Perhaps the leading Wesleyan process theologian is John Cobb himself. An ordained Methodist minister, he often says that, in his view, process thought is a Wesleyan approach to God and to life, emphasizing the presence of the Holy Spirit in the human heart as guiding (luring) it toward what Wesley called a “perfection of love. John wrote a book called Grace and Responsibility making the case for this, and also presented a formal lecture series. You will find them on this page: https://www.openhorizons.org/what-can-john-wesley-do-for-us-today-five-lectures-by-john-cobb.html.
There are also Presbyterian pastors influenced by process theology. Two are Al Gephart, living in Arizona, and Leslie King, living in Waco, Texas. Leslie is an active pastor; Al is retired. Both are part of a team of folks, members of Process and Faith, who are working on developing resources for Christians influenced by process, including, of course, kindred spirits in the Wesleyan tradition. Are you familiar with Process and Faith? Hope so. I’m sure they’d like to have you work with them. There are already many resources (liturgies, songs, rituals, etc.) for use.
Another process theologian, Bruce Epperly, is quite influenced by Celtic traditions. He has a couple of books out on them.
Let me know how I can help you more on all of this, and glad to know your general interest. The more concrete your questions, the better my answers.
PS Marjorie Suchocki is Wesleyan, too, indeed Methodist. The Cobb Institute is developing slideshows that pastors and others can use to introduce process theology in local church settings. You might find this one, inspired by Marjorie, interesting and, who knows, even usable: https://cobb.institute/educators-toolbox/christian-process-theology-marjorie-suchocki/