Process theism typically refers to a family of theological ideasoriginating in, inspired by, or in agreement with the metaphysicalorientation of the English philosopher-mathematician Alfred NorthWhitehead (1861–1947) and the American philosopher-ornithologistCharles Hartshorne (1897–2000). For both Whitehead andHartshorne, it is an essential attribute of God to be fully involvedin and affected by temporal processes. This idea contrasts neatly withtraditional forms of theism that hold God to be or at least conceivedas being, in all respects non-temporal (eternal), unchanging(immutable,) and unaffected by the world (impassible). Process theismdoes not deny that God is in some respects eternal,immutable, and impassible, but it contradicts the classical view byinsisting that God is in some respects temporal, mutable, andpassible.
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Full text of 'Alfred North Whitehead - Process & Reality' See other formats. PHILOSOPHY OF ALFRED. Is the inseparability of the creator and the creature. 'Alfred North Whitehead, Adventure of Ideas (New York: 2A.
The views of Whitehead and Hartshorne should also bedistinguished from those that affirm that the divine being, by an actof self-limitation, opens itself to influence from the world. Someneo-Thomists hold this view and a group of Evangelical Christianphilosophers, calling themselves “open theists,” promotesimilar ideas. These forms of theism were influenced by processtheism, but they deny its claim that God isessentially in a give-and-take relationship with the world.Moreover, process theism is a genuinely philosophicaltheology in the sense that it is not grounded in claims of specialinsight or revealed truth but in philosophicalreflection. Specifically, process theism is a product of theorizingthat takes the categories of becoming, change, and time asfoundational for metaphysics. The metaphysical underpinning of processtheism is often called process philosophy, a label suggested by thetitle of Whitehead’s magnum opus,Process and Reality. In order to bring out this philosophy’semphasis on relatedness, many scholars follow Bernard Loomer in callingit process-relational philosophy. Whitehead’s preferred expression forhis metaphysical viewpoint is “the philosophy of organism.”This article concerns primarily the concept of God in process theism,although we shall conclude with a brief discussion of arguments for theexistence of God in process thought.
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