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Alfred North Whitehead and the Quest for Political Vision. Larry W

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Alfred North Whitehead and the Quest for Political Vision. Larry W Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1981 Alfred North Whitehead and the Quest for Political Vision. Larry W. Chappell Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Chappell, Larry W., "Alfred North Whitehead and the Quest for Political Vision." (1981). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3672. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3672 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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In all cases we have filmed the best available copy. U niverse Microfilms International 300 N, ZEEB RD„ ANN ARBOR. Ml 48106 8207811 Chappell, Larry W. ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD AND THE QUEST FOR POLITICAL VISION The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical PhD . Col1981 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD AND THE QUEST FOR POLITICAL VISION A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Larry W. Chappell B.A., The University of Alabama, 1973 M.A., The University of Alabama, 1976 December 1981 WITH LOVE AND RESPECT TO CARLE Beauty is momentary in the mind— The fitful tracing of a portal; But in the flesh it is immortal. The body dies; the body's beauty lives. So evenings die, in their green going A wave, interminably flowing. Wallace Stevens All this here and now, so fleeting, seems to require us and strangely concerns us. R ilke The creativity of the world is the throbbing emotion of the past hurling itself into a new transcendent fact. It is the flying dart . hurled beyond the bounds of the w o rId . Alfred North Whitehead Acknowledgments The standard scholarly procedure is to thank all the people who have in some way contributed to the outcome of study while absolv­ ing them of all blame for its shortcomings. I firmly share Whitehead's belief that we are not beings who require nothing but ourselves in order to exist. Our "selves" are constituted in ways we can barely grasp. Thus, it is exceedingly difficult to apportion fairly, praise or blame for what we have become. Nevertheless, there are a number of people whose contributions to my life and thought are almost wholly commendable. These people do indeed deserve absolution for shortcomings and praise for merits in the study. The members of ray committee—E. Ramon Arango, John R. Baker, James J. bolner, Cecil L. Eubanks, Edward H. Henderson and G. Ellis Sandoz, Jr.—were extremely helpful and patient. Special thanks are extended to Cecil Eubanks whose friendship and encouragement extend well beyond the duration of this project. Gratitude is also in order for Clara G. Leach and Carle L. Jackson who read and commented on portions of the draft. Terry Haney provided much needed friendship through some difficult times. Sue Larisey and Karen Cox blended expert typing with extraordinary patience. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................... lv ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... CHAPTER I . INTRODUCTION: WHITEHEAD AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY ......................................................................... 1 Whitehead's Relevance to Political Philosophy . 1 Structure of the Study ................................................. 3 Limitations and Difficulties ................................................. 4 Source Material .............................................................................. 7 I I . THE POLITICS OF V I S I O N ..................................................................... 9 Political Philosophy .......................................................... 9 Classical Political Philosophy ............................................ 19 The Meaning of Vision: A Reconsideration .................... 26 Summary and Prospect ........................................................... 28 I I I . WHITEHEAD'S CONCEPTION OF SPECULATIVE PHILOSOPHY . 30 Introduction ....................................................................................... 30 Philosophical Method .................................................................... 32 Whitehead and Classical Speculation .................................. 45 Summary and P r o s p e c t ......................................................... 48 IV. WHITEHEAD'S COSMOLOGY ................................................. ..... 50 Introduction ....................................................................................... 30 W hitehead's Cosm ological Scheme ............................................ 51 The Uniformity of N a tu re ........................................... 67 Summary and Prospect ..... 95 V. GOD, MAN AND THE MORAL O R D E R ............................................................98 Introduction ....................................................................................... 98 Religion and G o d .................................................................................100 v CHAPTER The Moral O r d e r ........................................................................ 108 The Station of Man ................................. 128 Summary and P r o s p e c t............................................................... 131 VI. APPLICATIONS, EXTENSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS .................... 133 Introduction ............................................................................. 133 The Nature of Order in the Order of Nature . 134 The Possibility of Freedom ................................................ 144 Utopia, Humanism and C r is is ............................................ 154 Conclusions.................................................................................. 165 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................... 171 ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................................... 188 EPIGRAPH CITATIONS ................................................................................................ 189 VITA ................................................. 191 vi ABSTRACT This study explores Alfred North Whitehead's relevance for political philosophy by attempting to locate his work within the tra­ dition of "classical political philosophy." Classical political phi­ losophy is understood to Involve a determined quest for "vision" in all matters, including politcs. The quest is constituted by several interlocking inquiries which are schematically represented as 1) The quest for comprehensiveness: speculation 2) The quest fo r God: theology 3) The quest for wholeness: ethics 4) The quest for man: philosophical anthropology Each of these inquiries is embodied in the key works of classical political philosophy such as Plato's Republic and A ristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and the Inquiries coalesce to form an architec­ tonic mode of interrogation. The schematic representation of classical political philosophy is explained and illustrated.
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