Whiteheadova filozofija prirode i bioetika
Whitehead’s Natural Philosophy and Bioethics

Summary/Abstract: In the situation in which necessity of changing our attitude towards the nature is becoming increasingly obvious, it could be important to ask the following question – is Whitehead’s natural philosophy, which represents one remarkable and outstanding system of thought, one integral natural philosophy, capable of giving assistance in our attempt of regaining the notion of nature in thought? Thereby, some grounding terms and characteristics of Whitehead’s natural philosophy are discussed here in a manner of a broad sketch. Grounding terms of Whitehead’s natural philosophy are: ‘process’, ‘organism’, and ‘actual entity’. Reality is the process which at the same time represents a subject as a coordinative principle of unity. Process is compiled out of the events which are in a dynamic interrelationship. In a focus of this theory of nature, which in contrast to Aristotle and Descartes thinks of ‘nature’ in its organismic quality, is time not the substance. Whitehead’s natural philosophy, being the empirical-pragmatical metaphysics, starts from causality and teleology as two different aspects of the unique process. Complementary process of causality and teleology, determinism and freedom, have an effect on nature. Actual entities posses their inner, teleological dynamics which is limited through their relation with the Universe in total. Grounding terms of Whitehead’s natural philosophy are: ‘process’, ‘organism’, and ‘actual entity’. Reality is the process which at the same time represents a subject as a coordinative principle of unity. Process is compiled out of the events which are in a dynamic interrelationship. In a focus of this theory of nature, which in contrast to Aristotle and Descartes thinks of ‘nature’ in its organismic quality, is time not the substance. Whitehead’s natural philosophy, being the empirical-pragmatical metaphysics, starts from causality and teleology as two different aspects of the unique process. Complementary process of causality and teleology, determinism and freedom, have an effect on nature. Actual entities posses their inner, teleological dynamics which is limited through their relation with the Universe in total. In categorial term ‘actual entity’ Whitehead’s philosophy offers the concept for formulating the unity between physical and psychical phenomena of the reality. Nature and spirit, body and conscience, physical and psychical, are not in the relation of dichotomy. Human and non-human life are not divided by any absolute boundary. In metaphysical and cosmological outlook, Whitehead’s natural philosophy in its attempt of providing the cosmic space–time unity of the world, nature and history, spirit and matter, is outlined as pantheistic.

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