Alfred North Whitehead
Wisdom combines truths of science, philosophy, and spiritual experience. Excellent thinking flourishes on the basis of intuition. On that basis, reason draws inferences. Then wisdom integrates reason’s diverse array of such lines of reasoning into an ever more comprehensive synthesis. (In practice, each phase of this model depends on the other phases.)
Wisdom emerges in Alfred North Whitehead who, after a career in science at Cambridge, took up a second career in philosophy at Harvard. He saw the need for a philosophy of living.
Philosophy is not a mere collection of noble sentiments. A deluge of such sentiments does more harm than good. Philosophy is at once general and concrete, critical and appreciative of direct intuition. It is not—or, at least, should not be—a ferocious debate between irritable professors. It is a survey of possibilities and their comparison with actualities. In philosophy, the fact, the theory, the alternatives, and the ideal, are weighted together. Its gifts are insight and foresight, and a sense of the worth of life, in short, that sense of importance which nerves all civilized effort. Mankind can flourish in the lower stages of life with merely barbaric flashes of thought. But when civilization culminates, the absence of a coordinating philosophy of life, spread throughout the community, spells decadence, boredom, and the slackening of effort.
At the high point of his philosophy, Whitehead creatively combined his concept of an eternal God with his concept of evolution. In this way he came very close to the main thesis of this philosophy of living. Truth, beauty, and goodness are qualities of the eternal nature of God; and these values evolve in time as we actualize them. To live them is thus the sense in which it is humanly possible to live the divine life.
These ideas suggest that our greatest insights into truth, beauty, and goodness lead us to regard these values as qualities of God; but in our own lives, these values are partial and incomplete, more potential than actual. The process of actualizing them is a long and gradual evolutionary process. Through our struggles, God leads us to partake of these divine values and become increasingly like him.
Think of the times when you are living at your best. Could you describe these times as living the truth? Walking in beauty? Participating in divine goodness? All of these blended together? Please say more. Feel free to respond to just part of this huge question–or to modify the question as you choose.
Alfred North Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas (New York: Macmillan, [1933] 1961), p. 98.
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Here is my take. As I have gotten older, and have experienced this life, more and more have I come to realize that when I am living at my best, I have more and more realized what I call three dimensional thinking. Three dimensional thinking embraces wisdom garnered from the past, and the remote effects that such a decision has on the future. The decision thus made in the present under these conditions frees the decision from one or even two dimensional thinking. This kind of thinking is the closest kind of thinking that allows me to approach the eternal, and makes my communion with God more readily appreciated since I am striving to think and act as he does in a given situation.
When I am thinking like this I am in fact living the truth as nearly as possible for this stage of my development. It is a life that recognizes all the time aspects of human existence. It gives reality to the reality of sonship with God. Imagine a clay footed human being one with the Father through the living of truth, beauty, and goodness which all culminate in the appreciation of the love of God. Such a realization is more than I can really fully comprehend. But even so I can appreciate the flavor of it, and by faith accept and experience this wonderful state of being.
When I am living at my best which I strive to do at all times and under all circumstances, I see all men and women as my brothers and sisters; I see a gleam of goodness in them, and appreciate the beauty of their different personalities. And when we come together to commune or to problem solve, I realize the unification of our diversity. It is indeed a blessing that God has endowed us with the ability to comprehend those qualities of divinity-truth, beauty, and goodness- with greater and greater appreciation as we continue to live and strive to do his will.
Living at my best, that is living a life based upon truth, beauty, and goodness and exercising three dimensional thinking increases my consciousness of God, and allows me to transcend the difficulties of a material life and endows me with the unshakeable conviction that the universe is friendly, and that God love me, yes loves me and the proof of this is that I too love.
Dr Perry
Dr. Perry, this is a mature and balanced statement representing the meanings and values of this philosophy of living. Normally, I would ask for an example, but you have already provided us with many examples, honestly described in intimate detail, examples that make it clear that you have earned the right to speak in such general terms. Thank you very much for your dedicated life and generous contributions to the foundational layer of this conversation.
Jeff here are a few examples that may put some flesh on my bare bone comments.
In deciding whether to participate in this project. I reviewed my past experience with my relationship with you. I remember fondly how you gave me an opportunity to speak at one of the conference you were heading up. You being a master teacher have always pointed out and emphasized the best of what I have had to say. And as I contemplate my possible experience with this project in the future, I feel comfortable that you attitude will be the same in the future as it has been in the past. Even when you have had to correct some of the things I have said, you have done so with kindness and grace. And so having taken into consideration the experience of the past and possible future projections, I feel encouraged to participate in this kind of project in the present project which is new to me. Thank you so much for being you and giving me an opportunity to participate.
Examples of blending of truth, beauty, and goodness.
In 1992 when I was working as contract physician at Fort Bragg Army Base, I saw a patient whose daughter was dying from brain cancer. The patient who was a minister was troubled not only by the spectacle of his daughter dying, but also by doubts of God goodness. His daughter had been on her own, but her disease had forced her back home. She asked her father why this happened to her? He replied, “that he did not know.” He related to me that this experience was shaking his faith in God. He was caught in that theological dilemma where he had difficulty harmonizing his belief in God with the personal tragedy he was experiencing.
I told him that this was the time to move even closer to God, that this life was only a bridge to
another world, and that we were all mortal; that it was the will of God that we depart from this life
at some point. The fact that it happened sooner rather than later did not change God’s will. I
reminded him of the resurrection, of God’s great love and mercy for us. I reminded him that nothing of spiritual value is ever lost. After listening for a few minutes, He joined the discussion, and added to what I was saying. He seemed to have undergone a renewal of his faith while talking with me. He thanked me for the conversation, and left.
Sometimes words cannot be found to fit a given situation. and spirit to spirit communication must
be allowed. I recall this experience clearly. I was confronted with a patient who had come in for a
routine visit, but she was so overcome by the personal tragedy in her life, that it overwhelmed the
reason that she came, and she just began to weep uncontrollably, saying that she could not take
anymore. She felt so distraught emotionally, and I shared her pain and suffering. I felt so helpless,
but I held her hand, and with a look of compassion assured her that everything would be all right,
that she would be all right. You see her husband was dying from metastatic cancer, and she was
witnessing the slow death of him, and powerless to do anything about it.
Dr Perry