The Metaphysics of Becoming (eBook)

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Thomas Padiyath, Good Shepherd Major Seminary Kunnoth, Iritty, Kannur, India.

Abbreviations 24
General Introduction 27
Part One: Whitehead’s Metaphysics of Becoming 43
1 Metaphysics of Becoming: Setting the Context 47
1.1 Greek Philosophy to Scientific Materialism 48
1.2 Whitehead’s Response to the Greek Outlook of Nature 49
1.2.1 The Emergence of Materialism in Modernity 51
1.2.1.1 The Doctrine of Simple Location 54
1.2.1.2 Whitehead and Classical Physics 55
1.2.1.3 The Metaphysical Dualism of ‘Res Extensa and Res Cogitans’ 57
1.2.1.4 Newton’s Mechanistic View of the Universe 60
1.2.2 Whitehead’s Response to Scientific Materialism 61
1.3 The Positive Influences 64
1.3.1 The Re-construction of Physical Sciences 64
1.3.2 The Romantic Movement 65
1.3.3 An Inevitable Shift in Methodology 67
2 Whitehead’s Metaphysics of Indefinite Pluralities in Becoming 71
2.1 Being to Beingness in Becoming 71
2.1.1 The Fundamental Principle of Becoming 73
2.1.2 The Enigma of Becoming 75
2.2 Fundamental Reality in Whitehead 77
2.2.1 Actual Occasion: the Dynamic Subject 79
2.2.2 The Constitution of an Actual Occasion 80
2.2.2.1 The Theory of Concrescence 81
2.2.2.2 The Concept of Prehension 82
2.2.2.3 Satisfaction 87
2.3 The Characteristics of Actual Occasion 89
2.3.1 Actual Occasion: A Unity of the Physical and Mental Poles 90
2.3.1.1 The Physical Pole 91
2.3.1.2 The Conceptual Pole 91
2.3.2 Actual Occasion: A Self-actualising Concrescence 92
2.3.3 Actual Occasion: An Experience of Being Subject-Superject 95
2.4 The Eternal Objects: Pure Potentials for Actual Occasion 96
2.4.1 The Ontological Necessity of the Eternal Objects 97
2.4.2 The Complimentarity of the Actual and the Eternal 99
3 Creativity: The Raison d’être of Becoming 101
3.1 The Distinctive Features of Creativity 101
3.1.1 The Emergence of the Concept Creativity 102
3.1.2 Creativity: The Pure Notion of the Activity 104
3.1.3 Creativity: A Meta-theoretical Concept 105
3.2 Creativity: the Metaphysical Ultimate in Whitehead 107
3.3 Different Interpretations of Creativity 109
3.3.1 Creativity: The Self-Caused Subjective Feeling 109
3.3.2 Creativity: Monistic or Pluralistic? 110
3.3.3 Creativity as Eternal Object 112
3.3.4 Creativity as Future Becoming 113
3.4 Creativity: The Raison d’être of Becoming 115
3.4.1 Creativity: the Innate Nature of Every Actuality 115
3.4.2 Creativity: the Principle of Creative Advance 117
3.4.3 Creativity: the Principle of Novelty 119
4 God and the Metaphysics of Becoming 122
4.1 God and the Metaphysical Principles 122
4.2 God and the Metaphysics of Becoming 124
4.2.1 God: A Metaphysical Necessity 125
4.2.2 God: An Actual Entity 127
4.2.3 The Dipolar Nature of God 127
4.2.3.1 The Primordial Nature of God 129
4.2.3.2 The Consequent Nature of God 130
4.2.4 God: The Principle of Limitation 134
4.2.5 The Vindication of the Refuted 136
4.3 God-World Relation in Whitehead’s Metaphysics of Becoming 140
4.3.1 God the Creator and the Metaphysics of Becoming 141
4.3.2 God: the Reservoir of Potentiality 143
4.3.3 God: the Source of Novelty 145
4.3.4 God: the Principle of Order and Harmony 146
4.3.5 God: the Source of the Initial Aim 147
4.4 The Religious Significance of Whitehead’s God 149
4.4.1 The Complexity of the Subject 150
4.4.2 The Goodness of God versus the Will of God 153
4.4.3 God: the Wisdom that Permeates the Universe 156
4.4.4 Metaphysics of Becoming without God 158
Part Two: Aurobindo’s Integral Advaita and the Metaphysics of Becoming 163
5 Integral Advaita: Its Place within the Indian Philosophical Tradition 167
5.1 Fundamental Presuppositions of Aurobindo’s Metaphysics 168
5.2 Aurobindo and Vedanta Philosophy 170
5.2.1 Aurobindo and Advaita Philosophy of Shankara 171
5.2.1.1 Shankara’s Theory of Reality 172
5.2.1.2 Aurobindo’s Response to Absolute Non-Dualism 175
5.2.2 Aurobindo and the Vishishtadvaita of Ramanuja 177
5.2.2.1 Ramanuja’s Theory of Reality 177
5.2.2.2 Aurobindo’s Response to Qualified Non-Dualism 180
5.2.3 Dvaitavata of Madhva 181
5.2.3.1 Theory of Difference and Dependence 182
5.2.3.2 The Ontology of Madhva 183
5.2.3.3 Aurobindo and Absolute Dualism 184
5.3 Aurobindo and Different Theories of Existence 186
5.3.1 The Supracosmic View 186
5.3.1.1 The Distinctive Nature of the Supracosmic View 187
5.3.1.2 The Supracosmic View and Integral Advaitism of Aurobindo 188
5.3.2 The Cosmic-terrestrial View 189
5.3.2.1 The Distinctiveness of the Cosmic-terrestrial View 189
5.3.2.2 The Cosmic-terrestrial View and Integral Advaitism 190
5.3.3 The Supraterrestrial View 192
5.3.3.1 Distinguishing Features of the Supra-terrestrial View 193
5.3.3.2 Aurobindo’s Response to the Theories of Existence 193
6 Integral Advaita: A Metaphysics of Becoming 196
6.1 The Integral Advaitic View of Existence 196
6.1.1 The Name Integral Advaita 197
6.1.2 Distinctiveness of Integral Yoga 199
6.2 Aurobindo’s Interpretation of the Concept of Maya 201
6.2.1 Maya: the Power of Becoming in Indian Philosophy 203
6.2.2 Maya: The Self’s Experience of Its Being 206
6.2.3 Maya: Not a Passive Notion but a Dynamic Notion 207
6.3 Dipolar Nature of the Reality 210
6.3.1 Matter as the Foundational Substratum of Existence 211
6.3.2 The Relation between Matter and Spirit 212
6.3.3 Dipolarity is Not Dichotomy 214
6.4 The Concept of Evolution: A Process Toward Integral Unity 216
6.4.1 The Idea of Evolution in Indian Philosophy 216
6.4.2 Aurobindo’s Vision of Evolution 217
6.4.2.1 Distinctiveness of Aurobindo’s Concept of Evolution 218
6.4.2.2 Teleology Central to Aurobindo’s Concept of Evolution 219
6.5 Cosmic Consciousness: the Locus of Becoming 222
6.5.1 The Individual and the Efficacy of Cosmic Consciousness 223
6.5.2 Cosmic Consciousness: the Source of Reconciliation 224
6.6 The One and the Many: The Way of Being in Becoming 226
6.6.1 The Absolute: Unity Manifesting Multiplicity 226
6.6.2 The Infinite: the Locus of Unity 228
7 Sachchidananda and the Metaphysics of Becoming 231
7.1 The Concept of the Absolute in Philosophy 231
7.1.1 Brahman: the Absolute in Indian Philosophy 232
7.1.2 Aurobindo’s Understanding of the Absolute 233
7.2 The Understanding of God in Indian Philosophy 236
7.2.1 The Subjective Dimension of Brahman 236
7.2.2 The Objective Dimension of Brahman 239
7.3 Sachchidananda: The Absolute in Aurobindo 242
7.3.1 Sachchidananda: The Greatest Achievement of Vedanta 243
7.3.2 The Trinity of Sachchidananda 244
7.3.2.1 The Absolute as Pure Existence (Sat) 245
7.3.2.2 The Absolute as Consciousness-Force (Cit-Shakti) 247
7.3.2.3 The Absolute as Bliss (Ananda) 249
7.3.2.4 The Inter-dependent Nature of the Trilogy 251
7.4 Sachchidananda and the Metaphysics of Becoming 253
7.4.1 The Involution of the Absolute 254
7.4.1.1 Why Involution or the Becoming? 255
7.4.1.2 Involution: The Becoming of the Absolute 258
7.4.2 The Effects of Involution 260
7.4.2.1 Theory of World as the Manifestation 261
7.4.2.2 Sachchidananda: The Substratum and the Cause of the Universe 264
8 The Supermind: The Raison d’être of Becoming 267
8.1 The Supermind 267
8.1.1 Vedic Roots of the Supermind 268
8.1.2 The Distinctive Nature of the Supermind 270
8.1.3 The Triple Status of the Supermind 271
8.1.3.1 Comprehending Consciousness or Transcendent Status 272
8.1.3.2 The Apprehending Consciousness 273
8.1.3.3 The Projecting Consciousness 274
8.1.3.4 Combined Activity – The Way of Being-Becoming 274
8.2 The Mind and the Supermind 276
8.2.1 In the Realm of Epistemology 277
8.2.2 Spatio-temporal Limitation of the Mind 278
8.2.3 Supermind: Identity of the Ideal and Actual 279
8.2.4 The Transformative Ascent from Mind to the Supermind 280
8.2.4.1 The Higher Mind 282
8.2.4.2 The Illumined Mind 283
8.2.4.3 The Intuitive Mind 283
8.2.4.4 The Overmind 285
8.2.5 The Supramental Transformation 287
8.3 The Supermind: Its Role, Relevance and Ultimacy 288
8.3.1 Supermind: An Onto-logical Necessity 288
8.3.2 Supermind: The Intermediate Link 289
8.3.3 Supermind: The Creative Principle 291
8.3.4 Supermind: Principle of Reconciliation 292
8.3.5 Supermind: The Ordering and Harmonising Principle 294
8.3.6 Supermind: The Raison d’être of Becoming 297
Part Three: On the Relationship between Creativity and God and Supermind and Sachchidananda 303
9 On the Relationship between God and Creativity in Whitehead and Sachchidananda and Supermind in Aurobindo 307
9.1 The Ultimacy of God and Creativity 308
9.1.1 God and Creativity Clearly Distinguished 309
9.1.2 Different Approaches and Re-configurings 313
9.1.2.1 The Identification of Creativity and God 313
9.1.2.2 God: the Source of Creativity 315
9.1.2.3 The Immanent Interdependence of God and Creativity 318
9.2 The Ultimacy of Sachchidananda and the Supermind 321
9.2.1 One in Essence and Dipolar in Existence 321
9.2.2 Supermind: The Icon of Sachchidananda 323
9.2.2.1 Supermind: The God Aspect of Sachchidananda 324
9.2.2.2 Supermind: The Truth-Consciousness of Sachchidananda 326
9.3 The Raison d’être for the Distinction of God and Creativity 328
9.3.1 On the Demand of the Question of Evil 329
9.3.2 On the Demand of Freedom 335
9.4 The Sine qua non for the Interdependence of Sachchidananda and Supermind 337
9.4.1 On the Ground of Theism and Monism 338
9.4.2 The Problem of Evil 340
9.4.2.1 The Complexity of the Problem 341
9.4.2.2 God the Creator and the Enigma of Evil 342
9.4.2.3 Evil and Divine Bliss 344
9.4.2.4 The Interplay of Good and Evil 346
9.4.2.5 Evil and Divine Economy 347
10 Toward an East-West Intermediation in the Metaphysics of Becoming in the Context of the Distinction between Metaphysics and Religion 350
10.1 The Distinctiveness of the West in Doing Philosophy 351
10.1.1 Reason: Central to Western Philosophy 352
10.1.2 Medieval Philosophy: A Combination of Faith and Reason 356
10.2 The Influence of the Enlightenment and Modernity 358
10.2.1 Modernity and Rationality 360
10.2.1.1 Modernity and the Question of Transcendence 361
10.2.1.2 The Emergence of Immanent Transcendence 364
10.2.2 The Separation of Metaphysics and Religion in the West 367
10.3 Whitehead’s Distance from Modernity 372
10.3.1 Religious and Metaphysical Ultimate as Distinct 372
10.3.2 The Metaphysical and the Religious Ultimate are Different 377
10.4 The Way of Doing Philosophy in the East 380
10.4.1 The Distinctiveness of the East 381
10.4.1.1 Darsna Versus Weltanschauung 382
10.4.1.2 Existence Is Value 384
10.4.1.3 Sense of Transcendence 387
10.4.2 Religion and Philosophy: Two Modes of Expressions 389
10.4.2.1 Religion, Philosophy and Freedom 391
10.4.2.2 Philosophy and Religion: Distinct but not Separate 391
10.4.3 The Complimentarity of Faith and Reason 395
10.4.3.1 The Role and the Limitations of Reason 396
10.4.3.2 Human Reason: A Mediator not an Angel 398
10.4.3.3 Reason Transcending to the Realm of Intuition 400
10.5 The Middle Way of Whitehead and Aurobindo 403
11 General Conclusion 406
11.1 Resumé 406
11.2 Whitehead and Aurobindo and East-West Dialogue 409
11.2.1 Being and Becoming: an Attempt to Think them Together 409
11.2.2 A Synthetic Approach to Matter and Spirit 417
11.2.3 The Realism of Whitehead and Aurobindo 419
11.2.4 Teleology and Purpose versus Nihilism 421
11.2.5 Religion and Philosophy: Distinction Versus Separation 424
11.2.6 Reason and Intuition: Two Sources of Philosophy 426
11.2.7 Reason and Experience Combined: A New Paradigm 428
11.3 An Attitude of Engagement Rather than Estrangement 437
References 444