An enquiry concerning the principles of natural knowledgeWhitehead, Alfred North
Philosophy
An enquiry concerning the principles of natural knowledge
Whitehead, Alfred North
Knowledge, Theory of; Science -- Philosophy; Space and time
There are an indefinite number of types of entity disclosed in this
diversification. An attempt in this enquiry to trace the subtlety of
nature would only blur the main argument. Accordingly we confine
attention to five modes of diversification which are chiefly important
in scientific theory. These types of entities are: (i) events, (ii)
percipient objects, (iii) sense-objects, (iv) perceptual objects, (v)
scientific objects. These are five radically distinct types of entities
yielded by five distinct procedures; and their only common quality as
entities is that they are all alike subjects yielded for our knowledge
by our perceptions of nature.
13.3 The entities which are the product of any one mode of
diversification of nature will be called elements, or aspects, of
nature; each such entity is one natural element. Thus each mode of
diversification produces natural elements of a type peculiar to itself.
One mode of diversification is not necessarily more abstract than
another. Objects can be looked on as qualities of events, and events as
relations between objects, or—more usefully—we can drop the
metaphysical and difficult notion of inherent qualities and consider the
elements of different types as bearing to each other relations.
There are accordingly two main genera of relations to be distinguished,
namely 'homogeneous' relations which relate among themselves natural
elements of the same type, and 'heterogeneous' relations which relate
natural elements of different types.
13.4 Another way of considering the diversification of nature is
to emphasise primarily the relations between natural elements. Thus
those elements are what is perceived in nature as thus related. In other
words the relations are treated as fundamental and the natural elements
are introduced as in their capacity of relata. But of course this is
merely another mode of expression, since relations and relata imply each
other.
14. Events.
14.1 Events are the relata of the fundamental
homogeneous relation of 'extension.' Every event extends over other
events which are parts of itself, and every event is extended over by
other events of which it is part. The externality of nature is the
outcome of this relation of extension. Two events are mutually external,
or are 'separate,' if there is no event which is part of both. Time and
space both spring from the relation of extension. Their derivation will
be considered in detail in subsequent parts of this enquiry. It follows
that time and space express relations between events. Other natural
elements which are not events are only in time and space derivatively,
namely, by reason of their relations to events. Great confusion has been
caused to the philosophy of science by this neglect of the derivative
nature of the spatial and temporal relations of objects of various
types.
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