news: 2005...
Chromatikon Yearbook
December 28, 2005
The Chromatiques Whiteheadiennes network intends to bring together research on the different aspects, nuances, and implications of Alfred North Whitehead's (1861-1947) thought. Since 2002, the network has thrived in Paris 1 Panthon Sorbonne research seminars on Whitehead's philosophy. The time is ripe to make public the main results of this work through a Yearbook that will also offer critical studies and reviews in Whiteheadian and related fields. The Chromatikon yearbooks will be complementary to the works published in Ontos Publishing House's Chromatiques Whiteheadiennes and Process Thought series.
Chromatikon I: Annuaire de la philosophie en procs - Yearbook of Philosophy in Process. edited by Michel Weber and Diane d'Eprmesnil, Presses universitaires de Louvain, 2005.
264 pages. ISBN: 2-87463-000-4
Price to buy: 21 euros; Price of subscription: 16,8 eurosContacts & More Information:
Dr. Michel Weber will be more than happy to answer queries.
E-mail: weber@risp.ucl.ac.be
Web: http://www.isp.ucl.ac.be/staff/Weber/chromas/chromas.html
The volumes could be ordered, e.g., through
http://www.i6doc.com/doc/chromatikon
New Additions to the Process Book Series...
August 8, 2005
Michel Weber, who has accomplished remarkable things in his publication endeavors, announces that the "Process Thought" book series feature new titles.New Process Theology Professor in Claremont...
I. Series InformationProcess Thought
Edited by Nicholas Rescher (Pittsburgh), Johanna Seibt (Aarhus), Michel Weber (Louvain-la-Neuve)
Advisory Board
Mark Bickard (Lehigh), Jaime Nubiola (Navarra), Roberto Poli (Trento)The series "Process Thought" features philosophical, interdisciplinary, and cross-disciplinary research on the analysis and application of dynamic categories. It presents cutting-edge research in process ontology and process metaphysics, but also interdisciplinary studies and cross-disciplinary collections on process-geared theories and themes, covering a wide spectrum of disciplines (including philosophy of chemistry, philosophy of physics, philosophy of mind, linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, neurophysiology, robotics, biology, and music theory). The series is not tied to Whitehead's philosophy and presents the full spectrum of current research approaches. As an international forum for book-length contributions in English and German the series is the first of its kind to document what might be a paradigm shift in the making.
II. Volumes
Weber, Michel (ed.), After Whitehead: Rescher on Process Metaphysics, Frankfurt / Lancaster, ontos verlag, Process Thought I, 2004. (339p. ; ISBN 3-937202-49-8 ; hardcover 89€
When Rescher's Process Metaphysics (1996) was published, it was widely acclaimed as a major step towards the academic recognition of a "mode of thought" that has otherwise been confined within sharp scholarly boundaries. Of course it is not an easy book: despite its stylistic clarity, it remains the complex outcome of a life's work in most areas of philosophy. The goal of the present volume is to systematically unfold the vices and virtues of Process Metaphysics, and thereby to specify the contemporary state of affairs in process thought. To do so, the editor has gathered one focused contribution per chapter, each paper addressing specifically and explicitly its assigned chapter and seeking to promote a dialogue with Rescher. In addition, the volume features Rescher's replies to the papers.
Jason W. Brown, Process and the Authentic Life. Toward a Psychology of Value, Frankfurt / Lancaster, ontos verlag, Process Thought II, 2005. (700p. ; ISBN 3-937202-73-0 ; hardcover 119€
The thesis advanced in this book is that feeling and cognition actualize through a process that originates in older brain formations and develops outward through limbic and cortical fields through the self-concept and private space into (as) the world. An iteration of this transition deposits acts, objects, feelings and utterances. Value is a mode of conceptual feeling that depends on the dominant phase in this transition: from desire through interest to object worth. Among the topics covered are subjective time and change, the epochal nature of objects and their temporal extensibility and the evolution of value from inorganic matter into organic form. The theory of microgenesis informs this work. According to this theory, acts and objects evolve in milliseconds through phases that replicate patterns in forebrain evolution. The progression in the actualization of the mind/brain state is from archaic to recent in brain formation, from unity to diversity, from past to present and from mind to world. An account is given of the diversity of felt experience avoiding the reductionist moves characteristic of biological materialism and the inherent dualism of psychoanalytic and related theories. This book is intended for any reader interested in the psychology of the inner life and philosophy of mind, including philosophers, psychologists, psychiatrists and others with an interest in problems of value and moral feeling.
Silja Graupe, Der Ort konomischen Denkens. Die Methodologie der Wirtschaftswissenschaften im Licht japanischer Philosophie, Frankfurt / Lancaster, ontos verlag, Process Thought III, 2005. (362 pp ; ISBN 3-937202-87-0 ; Hardcover €98,00)
Der interkulturelle Dialog mit der japanischen Philosophie erhellt die verborgenen, unreflektierten Denkgewohnheiten der Wirtschaftswissenschaften. Die Andersartigkeit japanischen Denkens macht den impliziten methodologischen Grundrahmen der konomie sichtbar, verweist kritisch auf Widersprche sowie Erklrungslcken und zeigt Alternativen auf. Ansprechend und leicht verstndlich geschrieben, bricht das Buch mit der tief in der konomie verwurzelten Vorstellung der Welt als einer Gesamtheit unabhngiger, essentiell unvernderlicher Dinge bzw. Individuen und zeigt die Wirtschaft als ein interdependentes Gestaltungsgeschehen fernab jeder mechanischen Gesetzmigkeit auf. Das konomische Denken wird so ber Kultur- und Disziplingrenzen hinweg auf neue, ungewhnliche Weise kreativ.
Wenyu Xie, Zhihe Wang, George Derfer (eds.), Whitehead and China, Frankfurt / Lancaster, ontos verlag, Process Thought IV, 2005. (220p. ; ISBN 3-937202-86-2 ; hardcover 87€ [forthcoming]
Whitehead acknowledged that "the philosophy of organism seems to approximate more to some strains of [...] Chinese thought." Some scholars have attempted to explore this relationship and its implications. The Beijing Conference provided a good forum for interested and engaged scholars to address each other directly, in an atmosphere of mutual regard and respect. The ongoing scholarly work on process thinking in China is impressive. It is the editors' conviction that the publication of this book in English will promote international discussion of the themes and issues herein set forth. This should contribute significantly to the broader discussion between West and East, so important in this age of cultural globalization.
Thomas Kelly and Mark Dibben (eds.), Applied Process Thought: Frontiers of Theory & Research, Frankfurt / Lancaster, ontos verlag, Process Thought V, 2006. [forthcoming]
Process philosophy provides dynamic ways of thinking and speaking about phenomena which are closer to the organic and temporal nature of reality than the more common substantivist, object-centered discourses. Concentrating mainly on the process philosophy developed by Alfred North Whitehead, this series of essays brings together some of the newest developments in the application of process thinking to the physical and social sciences. These essays, by established scholars in the field, demonstrate how a wider and deeper understanding of the world can be obtained using process philosophical concepts, how the distortions and blockages inevitably inherent in substantivist talk can be set aside, and how new and fertile lines of research in the sciences can be opened as a result. As such, this collection represents a significant contribution to the literature of process thought, focusing as it does on the intersection between philosophy and science. In a mutually supportive process through which a more genuine understanding of natural experience in the world is achieved, these essays show how the two disciplines can collaborate intimately -to the enrichment of both.
More details are available at http://www.isp.ucl.ac.be/staff/Weber/chromas/chromas.html & http://www.ontosverlag.com
For queries : weber@risp.ucl.ac.be & info@ontosverlag.com
The volumes could be ordered, e.g., through
Librairie Vrin contact@vrin.fr
Ontos order@ontos-verlag.de (franco de port)
Harrassowitz : http://www.harrassowitz.de
Transaction Books : trans@transactionpub.com
Gazelle Books : sales@gazellebooks.co.uk
July 18, 2005
Hitchhikers' Guide to Panentheism...We are pleased to report that Dr. Roland Faber has accepted a position at Claremont School of Theology for a 3-year appointment as Professor of Process Theology. Dr. Faber is currently Extraordinary Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the University of Vienna, author of Gott als Poet der Welt [God as Poet of the World], and a longtime friend of the Center. Please join us in welcoming Roland Faber to Claremont when he arrives in January 2006 to begin the Spring semester.
June 3, 2005
Dialogues Concerning Science and Natural Religion...
Everything you wanted to know about Panentheism, but were afraid to ask! Science and Theology News has published a layperson-friendly guide to the doctrine that "all is in God." Except from the guide:"In this section, you will read about the development of the idea of panentheism, its appeal to eminent theologians and scientists, as well as its role in the science-and-religion dialogue. And you might learn that you were already panentheistic in your beliefs, but just didnt know it."
Also, you might be interested in STNews' email newsletters, or their recent article on our recent exploration of Altruism and Science!
March 23, 2005
In 2004, The Center for Process Studies began a new program: "Dialogues Concerning Science and Natural Religion." funded jointly by the Metanexus Institute's Local Societies Initiative and the Helios foundation, the program's goal is to promote discussion between science and religion, using process thought as a bridge between the two fields. This program is explicitly focused on promoting fruitful interaction in the local community. The Dialogues consist primarily of three major public conferences.See below for conference summaries and information for upcoming conferences.
Cosmos and History...
March 22, 2005
Inaugural Issue: Deadline 15th May 2005
Second Issue: Deadline 1st September 2005
The Editors of Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy invite contributions for this new peer-reviewed, open-access journal of natural and social philosophy. For the first issues we particularly welcome papers that may provide a general or broad historical perspective so as to create openings for dialogue and debate in line with the focus and scope of the journal.
Cosmos and History seeks to develop and explore ways of thinking about physical existence, life, humanity and society. Important to this is the attempt to unite natural and social philosophy, transcending all disciplinary boundaries, and reflection upon the fundamental issues of understanding the cosmos and our place within it. Natural philosophy and social philosophy are sub-disciplines within which the tension between cosmology and history can be grappled with. Hence, the journal seeks to critically reflect upon the assumptions of not only the natural sciences, the human sciences and the humanities, but also on the relationship between knowledge of the world and ourselves and ethics and politics, on how we should live and how we should organize society. Accordingly, we encourage contributions of both a specific and a more general nature.
Cosmos and History welcomes contributions from philosophically oriented thinkers from all disciplines.
For more information or to submit papers go to our website:
▪ http://www.cosmosandhistory.org
Or email the editors:
▪ editors@cosmosandhistory.org