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
It follows from this definition that, in the primary signification of
location, an object is located in an element of instantaneous space. The
notion of location in an element of time-less space follows derivatively
by correlating the elements of instantaneous space to the elements of
time-less space in the way already described. In our immediate thoughts
which follow perception we make a jump from the situation of an object
within the short specious present to its location in instantaneous
space, and thence by further reflexion to its location in time-less
space. Thus location in space is always an ideal of thought and never a
fact of perception. An object may be located in a volume, an area, a
route, or an event-particle of instantaneous space, and thence
derivatively it will be located in a volume, or an area, or a segment,
or a point of timeless space.
53.2 In considering the scientific object it is the occupied
event which corresponds to the situation of the physical object. The
occupied event is the situation of the charge, in so far as the single
scientific object is conceived as an (ideal) physical object.
53.3 There are evidently many different kinds of location which
satisfy the general definition of location in an abstractive element,
even when the kind of abstractive element is assigned. These differences
mainly arise from differences in the relations of objects to parts of
their situations. An object is an atomic entity and as such is related
to its situations. But a situation is an event with parts of various
kinds, and we have to consider the various kinds of relationships which
objects may have to various kinds of parts of their situations.
For example, if the sense-object 'redness, of a definite shade' be
located in an area, it will be located in any portion of that area; and
this arises from the fact that if it be situated in an event, it is also
situated in any portion of that event. But it is not true that if a
chair be situated in an event, that the chair—as one atomic
object—is situated in any part of the event though it is so
situated in some parts. Again a tune cannot be situated in any event
comprised in a duration too short for the successive notes to be
sounded. Thus for a tune a minimum quantum of time is necessary.
54. Uniform Objects. 54.1 It will
be convenient to classify objects according as they do or do not satisfy
certain important conditions respecting their relations to their
situations.
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