Science and the modern worldWhitehead, Alfred North
Religion
Science and the modern world
Whitehead, Alfred North
Science
The difficulty inherent in the concept of finite internal relations
among eternal objects is thus evaded by two metaphysical principles, (i)
that the relationships of any eternal object _A_, considered as
constitutive of _A_, merely involve other eternal objects as bare relata
without reference to their individual essences, and (ii) that the
divisibility of the general relationship of _A_ into a multiplicity of
finite relationships of _A_ stands therefore in the essence of that
eternal object. The second principle obviously depends upon the first.
To understand _A_ is to understand the _how_ of a general scheme of
relationship. This scheme of relationship does not require the
individual uniqueness of the other relata for its comprehension. This
scheme also discloses itself as being analysable into a multiplicity of
limited relationships which have their own individuality and yet at the
same time presupposes the total relationship within possibility. In
respect to actuality there is first the general limitation of
relationships, which reduces this general unlimited scheme to the four
dimensional spatio-temporal scheme. This spatio-temporal scheme is, so
to speak, the greatest common measure of the schemes of relationship (as
limited by actuality) inherent in all the eternal objects. By this it is
meant that, _how_ select relationships of an eternal object (_A_) are
realised in any actual occasion, is always explicable by expressing the
status of _A_ in respect to this spatio-temporal scheme, and by
expressing in this scheme the relationship of the actual occasion to
other actual occasions. A definite finite relationship involving the
definite eternal objects of a limited set of such objects is itself an
eternal object: it is those eternal objects as in that relationship. I
will call such an eternal object ‘complex.’ The eternal objects which
are the relata in a complex eternal object will be called the
‘components’ of that eternal object. Also if any of these relata are
themselves complex, their components will be called ‘derivative
components’ of the original complex object. Also the components of
derivative components will also be called derivative components of the
original object. Thus the complexity of an eternal object means its
analysability into a relationship of component eternal objects. Also the
analysis of the general scheme of relatedness of eternal objects means
its exhibition as a multiplicity of complex eternal objects. An eternal
object, such as a definite shade of green, which cannot be analysed into
a relationship of components, will be called ‘simple.’
We can now explain how the analytical character of the realm of eternal
objects allows of an analysis of that realm into grades.
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