Whitehead Research Project
Encyclopedia
The Whitehead Research Project (WRP) is dedicated to the research of, and scholarship on, the texts, philosophy, and life of Alfred North Whitehead
. It explores and analyzes the relevance of Whitehead's thought in dialogue with contemporary philosophies in order to unfold his philosophy of organism
and its consequences for our time and in relation to emerging philosophical thought. Of particular interest is the investigation into the emergence of Whitehead's philosophy in the context of British and American pragmatism, its complicated relation to Continental philosophy
and the analytic tradition, the relevance of his thought in the discourse of post-modern paradigms of deconstruction
and post-structuralism
, and its creative impulse for developing process philosophies. Additionally, following Whitehead's own inclination to reach beyond European modes of thought, WRP seeks to extend its horizon of research by fostering similar conversations with strains of Indian and East Asian thought, thereby exhibiting de facto mutual influence–e.g., with the Kyoto School
of Buddhist philosophy.
since 1973 and of which Faber is the Executive Director. In March 2005, the goal of creating a fully integrated online Whitehead research interface was established as a long-term, strategic aim of WRP. The official inauguration of WRP followed in December 2005 with its first international conference, "Event and Decision," on Badiou, Deleuze, and Whitehead. In March 2006, Faber invited Brian G. Henning to serve as the WRP's Director of Research. In July 2006, the creation of the WRP's International Board of Academic Advisors signaled the completion of the first phase of the genesis of WRP.
In July 2009, the WRP announced the creation of the Whitehead Research Interface, also known as EVE (in honor of Whitehead's beloved wife, Evelyn). Once implemented, EVE will revolutionize the study of Whitehead's works by providing open access to the most complete electronic library of Whiteheadian scholarship in the world, some parts of which have never been made available to scholars.
In September 2010, the WRP announced the inauguration of the Critical Edition of Whitehead, a long-term initiative of the WRP that will, for the first time, make available the complete published and unpublished writings of Alfred North Whitehead in a single, critical edition.
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
. It explores and analyzes the relevance of Whitehead's thought in dialogue with contemporary philosophies in order to unfold his philosophy of organism
Philosophy of Organism
Philosophy of Organism or Organic Realism is how Alfred North Whitehead described his metaphysics. It is now known as process philosophy....
and its consequences for our time and in relation to emerging philosophical thought. Of particular interest is the investigation into the emergence of Whitehead's philosophy in the context of British and American pragmatism, its complicated relation to Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
and the analytic tradition, the relevance of his thought in the discourse of post-modern paradigms of deconstruction
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...
and post-structuralism
Post-structuralism
Post-structuralism is a label formulated by American academics to denote the heterogeneous works of a series of French intellectuals who came to international prominence in the 1960s and '70s...
, and its creative impulse for developing process philosophies. Additionally, following Whitehead's own inclination to reach beyond European modes of thought, WRP seeks to extend its horizon of research by fostering similar conversations with strains of Indian and East Asian thought, thereby exhibiting de facto mutual influence–e.g., with the Kyoto School
Kyoto School
The Kyoto School is the name given to the Japanese "philosophical movement centered at Kyoto University that assimilated western philosophy and religious ideas and used them to reformulate religious and moral insights unique to the East Asian cultural tradition." However, it is also used to...
of Buddhist philosophy.
WRP History
The WRP was conceived and founded in 2005 by Roland Faber, who serves as its Executive Director. In February 2005, Faber proposed and installed WRP as a project of the Center for Process Studies, a faculty research center of the Claremont School of TheologyClaremont School of Theology
Claremont School of Theology is a graduate school located in Claremont, California, offering Master of Art, Masters of Divinity, Doctorate of Ministry and Ph.D...
since 1973 and of which Faber is the Executive Director. In March 2005, the goal of creating a fully integrated online Whitehead research interface was established as a long-term, strategic aim of WRP. The official inauguration of WRP followed in December 2005 with its first international conference, "Event and Decision," on Badiou, Deleuze, and Whitehead. In March 2006, Faber invited Brian G. Henning to serve as the WRP's Director of Research. In July 2006, the creation of the WRP's International Board of Academic Advisors signaled the completion of the first phase of the genesis of WRP.
In July 2009, the WRP announced the creation of the Whitehead Research Interface, also known as EVE (in honor of Whitehead's beloved wife, Evelyn). Once implemented, EVE will revolutionize the study of Whitehead's works by providing open access to the most complete electronic library of Whiteheadian scholarship in the world, some parts of which have never been made available to scholars.
In September 2010, the WRP announced the inauguration of the Critical Edition of Whitehead, a long-term initiative of the WRP that will, for the first time, make available the complete published and unpublished writings of Alfred North Whitehead in a single, critical edition.
WRP International Board of Academic Advisors
- George Allan
- James Bradley
- Didier Debaise
- Michael Halewood
- Jeremy R. Hustwit
- Catherine KellerCatherine Keller (theologian)Catherine Keller is a Process Theologian and is currently a professor of Constructive Theology at New Jersey's Drew University. Like most major voices in Process theology, she studied directly with John B...
- George R. Lucas, Jr.
- Helmut Maaßen
- Leemon McHenry
- Keith Robinson
- Robert J. Valenza
WRP Research Members
- Jeffrey Bell
- Ali Benmaklouf
- Jean-Marie Breuvart
- Justin Clemens
- Andre Cloots
- Vincent Colapietro
- Ronny Desmet
- Jean-Claude Dumoncel
- Guillaume Durand
- Peter Farleigh
- Derek Malone France
- Michael Hampe
- Graham Harman
- Regine Kather
- Joachim Klose
- Spyridon Koutroufinis
- Erin Manning
- Brian Massumi
- Steven Meyer
- Duston Moore
- Steve Odin
- Adrian Parr
- Stascha Rohmer
- Franz Riffert
- Philip Rose
- Adam Scarfe
- Steven Shaviro
- Olav Bryant Smith
WRP Research
- Contemporary Whitehead StudiesContemporary Whitehead StudiesContemporary Whitehead Studies is an interdisciplinary, international book series for contemporary and innovative approaches to Alfred North Whitehead studies...
book series by Rodopi - Roland Faber and Brian G. Henning, coeditors - Critical Edition of Whitehead - George R. Lucas, Jr., General Editor; Brian G. Henning, Executive Editor
- International Conferences