Science and the Modern World

227 Pages·1997·3.63 MB·English

by  Alfred North Whitehead

ABOUT THIS BOOK
Thee ssenfteiaatluo rfAe lsf rNeodr tWhh ite­
headp'hsi losofoo prhgya nairsaeml rekandoyw n
toa laiu diebnecyeo tnhda,ot fh ifse llpohwi loso­
pherEsr.n eNsatg eilna, n a ttetmope tx pltahien
widien flue'onfWc hei tehead'osf t hsoyusgthetm,
says: "His philoesxopprhseioscmsoae fl writings
thdey namtiecn siooftn hsse o ciientw yh ichhe
livaedn,dt heayn swneere ds atrdheea etp -seated
andw idefleyl tN.ag'e:al d d"sH: ew asa ne xtra­
ordinagriifltsyep do kesman, apnedwr icseep,t ive
foerv erygtn haisncveenntt,u reasnodpm oet entially
liberating."
Scieqnncdte h'Me o dernW orlpde,r hWahpist e-'
headm'ossw ti derleyap dh ilosophic work, consists
int hmea in ao sfe roifee si gLhotw eLlelc tures
<'l.elivaetrH eadr vaUrndi verisn1i 2t95y.W h i­te
heahdi mVs ewrotteh atth eb oo"ke mbodai es
stuodfys omaes peocftW se stecrunl tduurrei ng
thpe astth rceeen tuirnis eofs a,ar s i th asb een
influenbcyte hded evelopomfse cnite .n"Tc hee'
ketyo t hbeo ohke,s ai"di,ts h see nosfet hoev er­
whelmiinmgp ortoafna pcree vaplheinlto sophy."
JohDne wecya llSecdi enacnedt heM odern
Worl"dT hmeo ssti gnifirceasntta tfeomtreh net
gen�rreaald oeftr h per esreenlta toifso cnise nce,
philosaonpdh y,it shseu oefls i fweh ichha s yet
appearHeedr.b"e Rreta dw rot"eT:h iisst he
most impboorotpkal n,t! bliints hhece odn joint
realomfss c ieanncdpe h ilossoipnhDcyee s cartes'
DisucrosoenM ethoIdte. m bodtihemesa teroifa l
ar evoluitnoi uowrnh olceo ncoefpl ti ofre being,
ands eetkosr eintneorot:n plrtyeh tce a tegoofr ies
scieanncdpe h ilosboupethv ye,tn h oosfer eligion
and aErdtm.u"nW di lssoani ".d :.i n.W h itehead
. .i.tis p ossitbol aeas,nt oniesxtehnitnt,gow atch
ino nem intdh em odificaotfti hoonu guhntd,e r
thaec tioofrn a dicnaolvleyl iinda ev aasr,i. eotfy
fielodfse xperiaenndic ters;e organiaztta htei on
handosfa v igorionutse lalnedadc atr iinmga ginac
tionA.n"dJ uliHaunx le"yO:n oef t hose books
thamta rakn e poch."
SCIENCE
AND THE
MODERN WORLD
LOWELL LECTURES, 1925
By ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD ·
F.R.SS.e .D( CambridgHeo)n,. D.Se(.M anchester)
Hon.L L.D1 StA.nd rew's)
Fello0w1 T riniCto'Yl leget.ihne U niversoiftCy a mbridge
and lateP rfoessoort Philosopihny H arvarUdn iversity
..
A PELICAN MENTOR BOOK
Publisbhye THdE NEW AMERlCAN LIBRARY
COPYRIG1H9T2,5B Y, T HE MACMILLANC OMPANY
Alrli grhetsse rvepda-rontfot hbioso mka yb er e,
produicnea dnf yo rwmi thpoeurtm isisnwi roint ing
frotmh peu bliesxhceerbp,yat r eviewwheowr i shes
toq uotbrei peafs saignce osn necwtiitaoh rn e ivew
writtfeorni ncolnu isnim agazoirnn ee wspaper.
Publisahsea d P ELICANM ENTOR BOOK
Bya rrangemweintthT heM acmillCaonm pany
FIRST PELIMCEANNT OR BOOKSE DITIOMNA, Y,1 948
PEL!C A N ME N TOR BO 0 [<Sa rep ublish/nJe d
The New AmericaLni braortyW orldL iteratIurnec,,
245F ifthA venue, New.Y ork 16,N ew York
PRINTEDI N rHE UNITED STATOEFS AMERICA
TO
MY COLLAEGUSE,
PAS'A]N DP RESENT.
WHOSFF RIENHDISPI SI NSPAlTRION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I.T HE ORIGINOSF MODERNS CIENCE
IIM.A THEMATICASS AN ELEMENTI N THE
HISTORYO F THOUGHT 20
IIITH.E CENTURYO F GENIUS 3:.1
IV.TH E EIGHTEENTHC ENTURY. ,f)7
V.T HE ROMANTICR EACTION. 75
VI.TH E NINETEENTCHE NTURY. 96
VIIR.E LATIVITY 151
VIIITH.E QUANTUMT HEORY 130
IX. SCIENCAEN D PHILOSOPHY 138
X.A BSTRACTION 157
XI.GO D 173
XIIR.E LIGIOANN D SCIENCE 180
XIIIRE.Q UIISTESF OR SOCIALP ROGRESS 192
INDEX. 209
PREFA CE
THE PRESENTB OOKe mbodai setsu odfys omaes pects
ofW estecrunl tduurrei tnhgpe astth rceeen tuirni es,
sof aars i th as bieneflnu enbcyet dh ede velopment
ofs ciences.t uThdhayisb s e egnu idbeydt he convic­
tion tthhmea etn taolfi tyea pno cshp rifnrgostm h e
vieowf t hew orlwdh icihsi ,n f acdto,m inianntt h e
educasteecdt oifto hnceso mmuniintq iueess tTihoenr.e
may mboer e tohnaesn u cshc hemceo,r respotnod ing
cultudriavli siTohenv sa.r ihouumsa n inwtheircehs ts
suggceosstm oloagnidae lssa,or ei nfluenbcyet dh em,
ares cience, eatehsitrchesel,ti igcIisnoe, nv .e rayg e
eacohft hetsoep iscusgg eavs itesow ft hweo rld. In so
faars t hsea msee otfp eopalrese w aybeyda lolr,m ore
thaonn eo,ft heisnet ertehseteisffr,e ctoiuvtel owoilkl
bet hjeo ipnrto ducftriootmnh essoeu rcBeuste. a ch
ageh asi tdso minapnrte occupaantdid,ou nr;it nhge
thrceeen turqiueess ,tit inho en cosdmeorliofvgreyod m
sciehnacbsee eans sertinagtt hieetx speelnofsfo e l der
poinotfvs i ewwi tthh eoirri geilnsse whMeernec .a n
bep rovinicnti iamlae s,w elals i np lacWee. m ay
asko ursewlhveetsh tehres cientific mtehnet ality of
modewronr lidnt hiem medipaatsietsn oats uccessful
'
exampolfse u ch prolviimnictiaatli on.
Philosionpo hnye,, O ift fsu nctiiostn hsec, r iotfi c
cosmoloIgtii sie tsfs.u ncttioho anr monriesfea,s hion,
andj ustdiifvye rgiennttu itaisto ont sh en atuorfe
thinIgtsh .a st oi nsoinst th sec rutoiftn hyue l timate
ideaasn,do nt hree tenotfit ohnew holoeft hee vi­
dencien shaopuircn ogs molosgcihceamle b.u sIitnse ss
ist or endeexrp liaCnidt-,sf oa r asb em--eaffiyc ient,
a procwehsisc h otihse rwuinsceo npsecrifooursmleyd
withroautti otneaslt s.
Bearitnhgii snm ind,h avIae v oidtehdie ntroduc­
tioonfa varioefta yb strduestear iels pecstciinegn tific
advance. iswW ahnatte d,w haanItd h avset riven
aftiesar s ,y mpatshteutodifymc a iind eaasss e efnr om
.
thei nsiIdfem .y v ieowf t hfe unctoifpo hni losophy
isc orrietic tst, h meo st effoefac lttlih vieen tellectual
pursuIitbt usi.l cdast hedbreaflotsrh ewe o rkmheanv e
movead s tonaen,di td ersotytsh emb efotr:heee le-
. viii
PREFACE ix
menthsa vweo rn dtohwenai rrc hIetsi .st haer chitect
oft hbeu ilgdsoi ftn hsep iarnidti, ti s a lstoh esiorl vent:
-andt hes piriptrueaclet dheems a terPihaill.ho ys'o p
workssl owlTyh.o ughltisde o rmafnotra ges; and
theanl,m ossutd deansli yt wmearnek, ifinndd tsh at
thehya veem boditehde mseilnvi enss titutions.
Thibso oiknt hmea icno nsoifas s tesot fe igLhotw ell
Lectudreelsi vienrt ehFdee bruar1y9 2oT5fh. e slee c­
turweist sho me selxipgahntsa inodtn h;se u bdivision
ofo ne leicnttuCorh ea prtsVe IIa ndV IIaIr,eh ere
printed as desloimvaeed rdeidt.im oantBatuhleta r s
beeand desdoa, s t oc ompletteh otuhgoehft t h beo ok
ona scawlhei ccho uld be niontc luwdietdh' itnh at
lectcuoruer Osfet .h inse wm atttehrse,e cocnhdat per
- 'Mathemaatsi csaE nl emeinntt heH istory of
Thought'-was deliveredt hMeaa st hae ­lecture before
matical oSfBo rcoiweUntn yi verPsriotvyi,d Re.n1 c.;e ,
and tthwee lfth chaptearn-dS' cRieelnicgei'o­n
formeadna ddress dienlt ihvePe hrieldlB irposo ks
HousaetH arvaarnddi, st ob ep ubliisnht ehAdeu gust
numbeorft heA tltainMco ntyh olft hiyse a(r1 295).
The tentehl eavnecdnh tahp t'eArbss-traacntdi on'
'God'-aadrdei twihoincsnh o wa ppefaorr fitrhset
timBeu.tt h beo orke preosneetn rtasoi ftn h ougahntd,
thea nteceudteinlti soafst oimooenf ciotnst einsat 's
subsriydp ioaint.
Therhea bs eenno occastihotene xttiom n a ke de­
tairleefde rteoLn lcoey Mdo rgaEnm'esr gteE nvloution
ort oA lexanSdPearc'Tesi) m aen dD eyi.tI tw ill be
obviotuors e adtehrasIt h avfeo untdh evme rsyu g­
gestiIv aem.e speciinadlelbytt oeA lde xangdreera'ts
workT.h ew ide socfto hppeer esebnootmk a kes it
imposstioab clken owliendd egteat ihvlea risoouusr ces
ofi nformaotro ifoi nd eaTsh.eb ooiks t hep roduct
oft hougahntdr eadiinnpg a syte arwsh,i cwhe rneo t
unedrtawkietnah n y antiocfiu ptaitliiosfnao ttrh ieo n
presepnutr poAscec.o rdiintwg oluyl ndo wb ei m­
possifbomrle et og ivree ferteonm cys eo urfcoedrse ­
taielvse,in fi tw erdee sirsaobt lode o .B utt heirse
non eetdh:fe a cts awrhreie clhui peodan r sei mpalned
welkln ownO.n the phisliodsaeon,pyc h oincsaild era­
tioonf e ptiesmolhoagsyb eeenn tireexlcyl udIetd .
woulhda vbee einm posstiodb ilsec tuhsatsto pwiict h-
x PREFACE
ouutp sienttgt hweh olbea laonfct eh weo rkT.h ek ey
tot hbeo oiks stehneos fte h oev erwheilmmpionrgt ance
ofa prevaplheinlto sophy.
My mogsrta tetfhualna krsed ue mtyo c olleague
My. RaphaDeelm ofso r retahdei npgar nodof fotsrh e
·suggesotfmi aonny i mprovemiene nxtpsr ession.
Harvard University,
Jun2e9 ,1 925.