Alfred North Whitehead (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found application to a wide variety of disciplines, including ecology, theology, education, physics, biology, economics, and psychology, among other areas. In his early career Whitehead wrote primarily on mathematics, logic, and physics. His most notable work in these fields is the three-volume Principia Mathematica (1910–1913), which he wrote with former student Bertrand Russell. Principia Mathematica is considered one of the twentieth century's most important works in mathematical logic, and placed 23rd in a list of the top 100 English-language nonfiction books of the twentieth century by Modern Library.Beginning in the late 1910s and early 1920s, Whitehead gradually turned his attention from mathematics to philosophy of science, and finally to metaphysics. He developed a comprehensive metaphysical system which radically departed from most of Western philosophy. Whitehead argued that reality consists of processes rather than material objects, and that processes are best defined by their relations with other processes, thus rejecting the theory that reality is fundamentally constructed by bits of matter that exist independently of one …
Alfred North Whitehead
Author details
- Aliases:
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Huai-hei-te, Hwaitʻŭhedŭ, A. N. Whitehead, and 51 others
Huaidehai, Алфред Норт Вајтхед, A. N. Uajthed, ألفرد نورث هوايتهد،, هوايتهيد، ألفريد نورث،, আলফ্রেড নর্থ হোয়াইটহেড, אלפרד נורת ווייטהד, Uaythed Alfred Nort, Алфред Норт Уайтхед, آلفرد نورث وایتهد, Alfred Nort Vajthed, 알프레드 노스 화이트헤드, Άλφρεντ Νορθ Γουάιτχεντ, Whitehead, Alfrēds Vaitheds, А. Н Уайтхед, Alfredas Nortas Vaithedas, Алфрэд Норт Уайтхед, ஆல்பிரட் நார்த் வொய்ட்ஹெட், ალფრედ ნორთ უაიტჰედი, Alfred N. Whitehead, Альфред Норт Вайтхед, אלפרד נורת ויטהד, Alfred Whitehead, अल्फ्रेड नार्थ ह्वाइटहेड, Alpʻred Nortʻ Uaithedi, Ālfrid Vāytʹhid, A. N Whitehead, ألفريد نورث وايتهيد, A. N. Uaĭtkhed, وايتهد، آلفرد, Альфред Норт Уайтхед, 앨프레드 노스 화이트헤드, A.N. Uaĭtkhed, Huai-te-hai, A.N. Uajtched, アルフレッド・ノース・ホワイトヘッド, وايت هيد، ألفرد نورث, 阿爾弗雷德·諾思·懷特黑德, A. N. Uaitkhed, Whitehead A. N, A. N Uaĭtkhed, 怀德海, Alpʹred Nortʹ Uaithedi, وايتهد، ألفرد نورث،, Alfredus North Whitehead, アルフレッド・ノース ホワイトヘッド, אלפרד נורת' וייטהד, Alfred North Whitehead, A.N. Whitehead, A. N ホワイトヘッド - Born:
- Jan. 6, 1861
- Died:
- Jan. 6, 1947
External links
Alfred North Whitehead (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947) was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found application to a wide variety of disciplines, including ecology, theology, education, physics, biology, economics, and psychology, among other areas. In his early career Whitehead wrote primarily on mathematics, logic, and physics. His most notable work in these fields is the three-volume Principia Mathematica (1910–1913), which he wrote with former student Bertrand Russell. Principia Mathematica is considered one of the twentieth century's most important works in mathematical logic, and placed 23rd in a list of the top 100 English-language nonfiction books of the twentieth century by Modern Library.Beginning in the late 1910s and early 1920s, Whitehead gradually turned his attention from mathematics to philosophy of science, and finally to metaphysics. He developed a comprehensive metaphysical system which radically departed from most of Western philosophy. Whitehead argued that reality consists of processes rather than material objects, and that processes are best defined by their relations with other processes, thus rejecting the theory that reality is fundamentally constructed by bits of matter that exist independently of one another. Today Whitehead's philosophical works – particularly Process and Reality – are regarded as the foundational texts of process philosophy. Whitehead's process philosophy argues that "there is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have consequences for the world around us." For this reason, one of the most promising applications of Whitehead's thought in recent years has been in the area of ecological civilization and environmental ethics pioneered by John B. Cobb.
