Johnson, A. H. Whitehead’s Philosophy of Civilization.  New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1962.

Abstract

Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) is recognized as one of the two or three leading philosophers of our century. Best known for his works on mathematics and metaphysics, he also made significant advances toward developing a philosophy of history, education, politics, and social relations - in short, a philosophy of civilization. These concepts are scattered throughout Whitehead's various writings, however, and are thus rather difficult to lay hold of. This book synthesizes these concepts into a unified whole. Professor Johnson, head of the Department of Philosophy at University College, University of Western Ontario, is admirably qualified to make such a synthesis. While Whitehead was professor of philosophy at Harvard, Professor Johnson wrote a dissertation on Whitehead's philosophy under his supervision. He has published several books on various aspects of Whitehead's thought, and has long been regarded as a leading authority on Whitehead. After an analysis of Whitehead's general definition of civilization, the author turns to his reflections on history: the relative importance of ideas and individuals in history, the significance of geography, the effect of technological advancement, and other pertinent matters. Whitehead's religion is discussed next: his concept of solitariness as the first requirement of a personal religion, his analysis of Christianity, the relation of religion to science and philosophy, and his concept of God. Subsequent chapters elucidate Whitehead's views on society, minority groups, civil liberties, theory and practice in education, international relations, and other contemporary problems. One chapter examines critical comments on Whitehead's philosophy of civilization. This is a perceptive introduction to an important area of Whitehead's thought. Written on an elementary level with the general reader in mind, it is couched in non-technical language that presupposes no previous knowledge of philosophy. Laymen who want to get a basic view of Whitehead's philosophy would do well to start here.