Metamodern Meaning

22. Process Philosophy and the Metamodern Metanarrative (w/ Matt Segall)

Feb 22, 2022
Matt Segall, an expert in process philosophy and consciousness, explores the intersections of A. N. Whitehead's ideas and modern metamodernity. He delves into the evolution of consciousness, challenging dualism and the hard problem, while promoting panpsychism and divine creativity. Segall discusses how complexity fosters creative imagination and offers insights into Whitehead's event ontology. The conversation spans mystical union, the nature of causation, and the idea of an open-ended creativity, emphasizing finitude as essential for beauty in our evolving experience.
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INSIGHT

Events Scale Mentality With Complexity

  • Whitehead's event ontology makes even fundamental particles occasions of experience with limited 'mental pull'.
  • As complexity grows, entities gain greater capacity to anticipate future possibilities.
ADVICE

Read Whitehead In Historical Order

  • Read Whitehead sequentially: start with Science and the Modern World, then Process and Reality, then Adventures of Ideas and Modes of Thought.
  • This reveals his evolving method and makes dense sections more intelligible.
INSIGHT

Aesthetic Grounding Of Existence

  • Whitehead treats energy and basic physical processes in aesthetic terms like enjoyment or delight.
  • This reframes 'why is there something rather than nothing' as a preference for being over non-being.
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