Science and the Modern World: Lowell Lectures, 1925Alfred North Whitehead's SCIENCE AND THE MODERN WORLD, originally published in 1925, redefines the concept of modern science. Presaging by more than half a century most of today's cutting-edge thought on the cultural ramifications of science and technology, Whitehead demands that readers understand and celebrate the contemporary, historical, and cultural context of scientific discovery. Taking readers through the history of modern science, Whitehead shows how cultural history has affected science over the ages in relation to such major intellectual themes as romanticism, relativity, quantum theory, religion, and movements for social progress. |
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abstract Accordingly actual occasion aesthetic analysis anti-rationalism Aristotle aspects atom body character civilisation cognition complete conceived concepts concrete definite Descartes determinate doctrine duration effect eighteenth century electrons elements enduring energy entities environment epoch eternal objects ether event evolution example exhibited existence experience expression fact finite Galileo genius grade hierarchy human ical ideas individualisation involved John Locke knowledge laws lecture Leibniz limited logical material materialistic mathematics matter mean ment mentality merely metaphysical Middle Ages mind mode modern molecule Newton nineteenth century notion objectivist philosophy order of nature organic theory particular pattern period philosophy physical possibility prehension primate principle Pythagoras question rationality realisation reality realm reason rela relatedness relations relationships religion religious requires respect scheme scientific sense sense-object seventeenth century simple location sorbed space space-time spatio-temporal subjectivist successive temporal theory of relativity things thought tion truth ultimate unity vibratory whole Wordsworth
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Page 113 - AWAKE, my St John ! leave all meaner things To low ambition, and the pride of kings. Let us (since life can little more supply Than just to look about us and to die) Expatiate free o'er all this scene of Man ; A mighty maze ! but not without a plan ; A wild, where weeds and flowers promiscuous shoot ; Or garden, tempting with forbidden fruit.
Page 117 - Ye Presences of Nature in the sky And on the earth ! Ye Visions of the hills ! And Souls of lonely places ! can I think A vulgar hope was yours when ye employed Such ministry, when ye, through many a year Haunting me thus among my boyish sports, On caves and trees, upon the woods and hills...
Page 103 - Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul Of the wide world dreaming on things to come, Can yet the lease of my true love control, Supposed as forfeit to a confined doom.
Page 136 - In order to understand our epoch, we can neglect all details of change, such as railways, telegraphs, radios, spinning machines, synthetic dyes. We must concentrate on the method in itself: That is the real novelty which has broken up the foundations of the old civilization.
Page 276 - The dangers arising from this aspect of professionalism are great, particularly in our democratic societies. The directive force of reason is weakened. The leading intellects lack balance. They see this set of circumstances, or that set; but not both sets together. The task of coordination is left to those who lack either the force or the character to succeed in some definite career.
Page 120 - THE everlasting universe of things Flows through the mind, and rolls its rapid waves, Now dark, now glittering — now reflecting gloom — Now lending splendour, where from secret springs The source of human thought its tribute brings Of waters, — with a sound but half its own...
Page 128 - In a certain sense, everything is everywhere at all times. For every location involves an aspect of itself in every other location. Thus every spatio-temporal standpoint mirrors the world.
Page 15 - The whole atmosphere of tense interest was exactly that of the Greek drama : we were the chorus commenting on the decree of destiny as disclosed in the development of a supreme incident. There was dramatic quality in the very staging: — the traditional ceremonial, and in the background the picture of Newton to remind us that the greatest of scientific generalisations was now, after more than two centuries, to receive its first modification.
Page 46 - Nothing is more impressive than the fact that as mathematics withdrew increasingly into the upper regions of ever greater extremes of abstract thought, it returned back to earth with a corresponding growth of importance for the analysis of concrete fact.
Page 114 - STRONG Son of God, immortal Love, Whom we, that have not seen thy face, By faith, and faith alone, embrace, Believing where we cannot prove; Thine are these orbs of light and shade; Thou madest Life in man and brute ; Thou madest Death; and lo, thy foot Is on the skull which thou hast made. Thou wilt not leave us in the dust: Thou madest man, he knows not why, He thinks he was not made to die; And thou hast made him: thou art just.