Whitehead’s Organic Conception of Humanity. Beyond Mechanistic Philosophy in an Age of Transhumanism
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Štefan Zolcer
Abstract
There are several conceptions of man in the history of philosophy. However, two considerable tendencies are recurring throughout modern history. A human being can be perceived as a complex mechanism or as a living organism. The response to the query has essential consequences in different areas. The article aims to provide a view of humankind that builds upon an organic conception of life, nature, and human beings, especially as elaborated by A. N. Whitehead and some of his followers. The article also briefly examines the emergence and development of a mechanistic view. The historical overview exposes the close relationship between the worldview of a given era and the understanding of man. Finally, the article argues that the organic conceptions of life developed in the first half of the 20th century provide an essential alternative to mechanistic views and could help us to deal with several problems we are currently encountering.
Funding source: Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja
Award Identifier / Grant number: contract no. APVV-18-0103
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Research funding: This research was funded by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract no. APVV-18-0103: Paradigmatic Changes in the Understanding of Universe and Man from Philosophical, Theological, and Physical Perspectives.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Cosmos and Humanity: Historical and Contemporary Paradigms of Understanding
- Research Articles
- Does God Micromanage the World? Learning about the Cosmos from the Book of Job
- Anthropomorphic Motifs in Ancient Greek Ideas on the Origin of the Cosmos
- The Meaning of Human Life in the Context of the Evolution of the Universe: V. I. Vernadsky and P. Teilhard De Chardin
- Pragmatist Empiricism (Towards a Conception of Human Being)
- A New Perspective on Humanity in the Cosmic Future: A Critical Reflection on Some Transhumanist Visions
- Conception of Human Being in Analytical Idealism: How Human and Cosmos are Interlinked Through Consciousness
- Challenges of Transhumanism for Virtue Ethics
- Whitehead’s Organic Conception of Humanity. Beyond Mechanistic Philosophy in an Age of Transhumanism
- Philosophical Objections to Media Contexts of Terraforming
- Book Review
- Plašienková, Z: Paradigmatické zmeny v chápaní kozmologickej a antropologickej problematiky: minulosť a súčasnosť
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Cosmos and Humanity: Historical and Contemporary Paradigms of Understanding
- Research Articles
- Does God Micromanage the World? Learning about the Cosmos from the Book of Job
- Anthropomorphic Motifs in Ancient Greek Ideas on the Origin of the Cosmos
- The Meaning of Human Life in the Context of the Evolution of the Universe: V. I. Vernadsky and P. Teilhard De Chardin
- Pragmatist Empiricism (Towards a Conception of Human Being)
- A New Perspective on Humanity in the Cosmic Future: A Critical Reflection on Some Transhumanist Visions
- Conception of Human Being in Analytical Idealism: How Human and Cosmos are Interlinked Through Consciousness
- Challenges of Transhumanism for Virtue Ethics
- Whitehead’s Organic Conception of Humanity. Beyond Mechanistic Philosophy in an Age of Transhumanism
- Philosophical Objections to Media Contexts of Terraforming
- Book Review
- Plašienková, Z: Paradigmatické zmeny v chápaní kozmologickej a antropologickej problematiky: minulosť a súčasnosť
