“The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.”
–Alfred North Whitehead
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The Anthropocene: End Times/New Age
Sean Kelly and I delivered this a few weeks ago at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA at our philosophy program’s annual retreat. Read more
Brian Swimme, Bruno Latour, Darwin, Hegel, Modern Philosophy, politics, race, reason, Religion, Richard Tarnas, Sean Kelly
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How is Natural Science Possible?: Whitehead’s first lecture at Harvard
I read Whitehead’s first lecture at Harvard, delivered in September 1924, which focuses on the metaphysical possibility of modern natural science. This lecture was just published in Process Studies 48.2; here’s the scan of the original that Whitehead read. Here’s a link to the interview of Lynn Margulis I mention at the beginning. Read more
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Philosophy is a tree.
I don’t know whether I am a poet pretending to philosophize, or a philosopher who happens to rhyme. I am hungry for wisdom’s teaching. Feed me philosophy. These thoughts do not take place inside my head. I taste them in my mouth. They boil in my belly. My chest is resounding with their potential. The Read more
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Introduction to German Idealism
My lecture in two parts introducing German Idealism (focusing on Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Goethe, Hegel) Read more
Ancient Philosophy, Copernican Revolution, Darwin, Descartes, Fichte, Galileo, Goethe, Hegel, Heidegger, Hume, imagination, Kant, Modern Philosophy, Plato, reason, Religion, Romantic Philosophy, Schelling, Spinoza
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Robert McDermott & Matt Segall on Rudolf Steiner’s 12 Ways of seeing the world
see also: Foreword to an upcoming anthroposophical book on twelve ways of seeing the world Read more
Alfred North Whitehead, Ancient Philosophy, Aristotle, Daniel Dennett, imagination, Modern Philosophy, reason, Religion, Rudolf Steiner, William James
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Divine Mereology, or Why Black Holes are Pores in God’s Face
Thinking and driving…about the evolution of matter, life, and mind. Read more
“In one sense philosophy does nothing. It merely satisfies the entirely impractical craving to probe and adjust ideas which have been found adequate each in its special sphere of use. In the same way the ocean tides do nothing. Twice daily they beat upon the cliffs of continents and then retire. But have patience and look deeper; and you find that in the end whole continents of thought have been submerged by philosophic tides, and have been rebuilt in the depths awaiting emergence. The fate of humanity depends upon the ultimate continental faith by which it shapes its action, and this faith is in the end shaped by philosophy.”
—Alfred North Whitehead
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Footnotes2Plato 