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
Thus objects lack the fixedness of relations which events possess, and
thus time and space could never be a direct expression of their
essential relations. Two objects have (by the mediation of events) all
the mutual space relations which they do have throughout their
existence, and might have many which they do not have. Thus two objects,
being what they are, have no necessary temporal and spatial relations
which are essential to their individualities.
15.5 The chief confusion between objects and events is conveyed
in the prejudice that an object can only be in one place at a time. That
is a fundamental property of events; and whenever that property appears
axiomatic as holding of some physical entity, that entity is an event.
It must be remembered however that ordinary thought wavers confusedly
between events and objects. It is the misplacement of this axiom from
events to objects which has wrecked the theory of natural objects.
15.6 It is an error to ascribe parts to objects, where 'part'
here means spatial or temporal part. The erroneousness of such
ascription immediately follows from the premiss that primarily an object
is not in space or in time. The absence of temporal parts of objects is
a commonplace of thought. No one thinks that part of a stone is at one
time and another part of the stone is at another time. The same stone is
at both times, in the sense in which the stone is existing at those
times (if it be existing). But spatial parts are in a different
category, and it is natural to think of various parts of a stone,
simultaneously existing. Such a conception confuses the stone as an
object with the event which exhibits the actual relations of the stone
within nature. It is indeed very natural to ascribe spatial parts to a
stone, for the reason that a stone is an instance of a perceptual
object. These objects are the objects of common life, and it is very
difficult precisely to discern such an object in the events with which
it has its most obvious relations. The struggle to make precise the
concept of these objects either forces us back to the sense-objects or
forward to the scientific objects. The difficulty is chiefly one of
making thought clear. That there is a perception of an object with
self-identity, is shown by the common usage of mankind. Indeed these
perceptual objects forced upon mankind—and seemingly also on
animals, unless it be those of the lowest type—their knowledge of
the objectified character of nature. But the confusion of the object,
which is a unity, with the events, which have parts, is always imminent.
In biological organisms the character of the organism as an object is
more clear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account