Whitehead’s Panprehensionism: A Feeling For Reality (Dialogue with Tim Jackson)

Video timestamps are available on YouTube.

Below is Claude 3 Opus’ summary of the transcript (with a few edits by me): 

In this detailed conversation, Matt, a philosopher, and Tim, a biologist, delve into various philosophical topics related to perception, consciousness, and the nature of reality, with a particular focus on the ideas of Alfred North Whitehead.

The discussion begins with an exploration of Whitehead’s theory of propositions, which attempts to capture the aesthetic functions of propositions beyond just their truth value. Matt explains how this theory is relevant to understanding the concept of “true metaphors.”

The conversation then shifts to the role of the brain in consciousness. Matt and Tim discuss Whitehead’s concept of prehension, which establishes subjectivity as basic to all physical processes. Matt suggests that the brain permits consciousness rather than producing it, and that consciousness originates in physical feelings that pervade the world.

Tim raises questions about the distinction between pure and impure conceptual prehensions in Whitehead’s philosophy, remaining skeptical of the necessity of eternal objects. He argues that conceptual prehensions are bound up with physically realized entities, such as mathematicians, and questions the idea of free-floating eternal objects. Matt adds that in Whitehead’s view, strictly speaking, only God’s primordial nature achieves full purity of conceptual prehension of the infinity of eternal objects. God’s pure conceptual prehension unconscious because it is as yet unrelated to physical becoming. As Whitehead says, “A pure conceptual feeling in its first mode of origination never involves consciousness” (PR 214). 

Matt and Tim also discuss the risks and benefits of using terms like “feeling” and “God” in metaphysical discussions. Tim suggests that these terms can be misleading or triggering for some people, potentially hindering the accessibility of the ideas being discussed. Matt, on the other hand, argues for the importance of these terms in conveying Whitehead’s ideas accurately and in establishing an unbifurcated image of nature.

The nature of direct experience and its relationship to inference and conjecture is another key topic in the conversation. Tim and Matt explore the idea that while our experiences are mediated, we can still make reasonable inferences about the reality of the external world. They discuss the role of psychedelics in altering perception and consciousness, and how this relates to the free energy principle and predictive processing frameworks in neuroscience.

Whitehead’s distinction between causal efficacy and presentational immediacy in perception is also examined. Matt explains that, according to Whitehead, error arises from the symbolic reference between these two modes of perception, rather than from the modes themselves.

Throughout the conversation, Matt and Tim grapple with the challenges of using language to precisely convey complex philosophical ideas while avoiding potential misunderstandings or unintended implications.

The discussion also touches on the importance of trust and letting go of conscious control in creative endeavors like improvisational music and engaging in deep conversations. They explore the idea of flow states and how they relate to the emergence of a kind of shared sentience or mind melding.

Towards the end of the conversation, Matt and Tim discuss plans for future discussions and writing projects, including engaging with the work of Luciano Floridi on the philosophy of information.