Transcript Slide 1

Alfred North Whitehead
(15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947)

Alfred North Whitehead
(b.1861 - d.1947), British
mathematician, logician and
philosopher best known for
his work in mathematical
logic and the philosophy of
science. In collaboration with
Bertrand Russell, he
authored the landmark
three-volume Principia
Mathematica (1910, 1912,
1913) and contributed
significantly to twentiethcentury logic and
metaphysics.
A Brief Bio

One of the twentieth century's most original
metaphysicians and a major figure in mathematical
logic, Alfred North Whitehead was also an important
social and educational philosopher. Born in England,
he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge,
where he also taught mathematics from 1884 until
1910. He then moved to London, where he was
professor of applied mathematics at the University of
London until 1924. Receiving an invitation to join the
philosophy department at Harvard University,
Whitehead came to the United States and taught at
Harvard until 1937. He remained in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, for the rest of his life.
Preface, page v
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The students are alive, and the purpose of
education is to stimulate and guide their selfdevelopment.
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It follows as a corollary [inference] from this
premise, that the teachers also should be alive with
living thoughts.
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The whole book is a protest against dead
knowledge, that is to say, against the inert ideas.
"the philosophy of organism"
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His general philosophical position, which he called "the
philosophy of organism," insists upon the ultimate reality
of things in relation, changing in time, and arranged in
terms of systems of varying complexity, especially living
things, including living minds. Whitehead rejected the
theory of mind that maintains it is a kind of tool, or dead
instrument, needing honing and sharpening. Nor is it a
kind of repository for "inert" ideas, stored up in neatly
categorized bundles. It is an organic element of an
indissoluble mind/body unit, in continuous relationship
with the living environment, both social and natural.
Whitehead's philosophy of organism, sometimes called
"process philosophy," stands in continuity with his
educational thought, both as a general theoretical backdrop
for this educational position and as the primary application
of his fundamental educational themes.
Claims made by defining
something in a parallel structure
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What is culture
“Culture is activity of
thought, and
receptiveness to
beauty and human
feeling.” page 1
Parallel three
aspects
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What is not culture
“Scraps of
information have
nothing to do with it.”
Further developing
his claim from the
negative side.
Sample Editing
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Communication: My learning goals are trying to
communicate with other people such as my classmates,
friends, and other people around me. Everyone has
different shade of opinion, which supports me to share the
ideas and practices. Talking persuasively is a great way to
know each other well. Communicating and listening are
the two facts that are necessary in life. Communicating is
the way of learning about different cultures, interests, and
habits of the others. Practice to communicate makes me
feel more confident when I speak in the public and limit
making mistakes during the speech. Communication is to
share the ideas as well as to share and gain the knowledge
from each other. –Student Writer
Levels of
Information/Argument/Claims
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Primary
Secondary
Down to details
Top Down or Bottom
Up?
All sentences need
to be linked with no
breaks-Cohesiveness
Relationship
 Hierarchical or
Compound/
Democratic?
Everything in a
paragraph should go
in one direction—
Coherence
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Exercise on Parallel Structure
to Expand an Definition/Process/Classification,
etc. So as to Leave Room
for Further Comments.
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The last but not the
least important of the
CUSP goals is
communication or clear
communication which
means/covers/involves
1. Willingness to listen;
2. Timely response;
3. Persuasive skills
…
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What is an Inclusive
practice? One way to
define this is to define
what is not an inclusive
practice. Make a list of
what exclusive practices
here and organize the
list by certain logic.
You can keep going on
to comment on the
consequences of
exclusive practices…
Whitehead on Self-development
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The valuable intellectual development is
self-development, page 1
The role of the students (Intro to
Psychology, for instance)
The role of the instructors/educators
Hypothesis of motivation
Natural development/Art of Teaching
William Temple (archbishop)
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William Temple (15
October 1881 – 26
October 1944) was a
priest in the Church of
England. He served as
Bishop of Manchester
(1921–29), Archbishop
of York (1929–42), and
Archbishop of
Canterbury (1942–44).
See Whitehead, page 2
Rugby School
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Temple was the second son of Archbishop
Frederick Temple (1821–1902). He was
educated at Rugby School and Balliol College,
Oxford, where he obtained a double first in
classics.
Rugby School, located in the town of Rugby,
Warwickshire, is regarded as one of the UK's
leading co-educational boarding schools and
is one of the oldest independent schools in
Britain.
“Every intellectual revolution
which has ever stirred humanity into greatness
has been a passionate protest against inert ideas.”
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Inert ideas that are merely
received into the mind
without being utilized, or
tested, or thrown into fresh
combinations. Page 1
Live Ideas will lead to
transformative learning
The whole book [The Aims
of Education] is a protest
against dead knowledge,
that is to say against inert
ideas.” See Whitehead,
Preface.
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That is to say, Live Ideas are
those that are utilized, or
tested or thrown into fresh
combinations.
Live Ideas always lead to
other, new ideas.
Example of inert teaching:
force students to memorize
some dead data;
Live teaching: connect
knowledge with cultural,
historical, and experiential
aspects, etc.
The corruption of the best
is the worst of all
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corruptio optimi pessima, Latin
The corruption of the best is the worst
of all
For definition and pronunciation:
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/corruptio%20op
timi%20pessima
See Whitehead, page 2
To understand all, is to forgive all
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The result of teaching small parts of a large
number of subjects is the passive reception of
disconnected ideas, not illumined with any
spark of vitality.
the French proverb:
“To understand all, is to forgive all.”
The function of education is to nurture
understanding, sympathy, and forgiveness.
Reference to St. Augustine
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Augustine, a Latin church
father, is one of the most
important figures in the
development of Western
Christianity. He "established
anew the ancient faith"
(conditor antiquae rursum
fidei), according to his
contemporary, Jerome. Best
remembered by his book,
Confessions (Confessiones,
397-398), among other
things.

Widely seen as the first
Western autobiography ever
written, and was an
influential model for
Christian writers throughout
the following 1000 years of
the Middle Ages
Modern English translations
of it are sometimes
published under the title The
Confessions of St. Augustine
in order to distinguish the
book from other books with
similar titles, such as JeanJacques Rousseau's
Confessions.
Augustine of Hippo
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Augustine was born to a
pagan father named
Patricius and a Catholic
mother named Monica. He
was educated in North Africa
and resisted his mother's
pleas to become Christian.
Living as a pagan
intellectual, he took a
concubine, with whom he
had a son, Adeodatus, and
became a Manichean. Later
he converted to Catholic…
What is the Rhetorical Reason to Use
Allusions or Other References?
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In 1799, Napoleon staged a coup
d'état and installed himself as First
Consul; five years later the French
Senate proclaimed him Emperor. In
the first decade of the nineteenth
century, the French Empire under
Napoleon engaged in a series of
conflicts—the Napoleonic Wars—
involving every major European
power. After a streak of victories,
France secured a dominant position
in continental Europe and
Napoleon maintained the French
sphere of influence through the
formation of extensive alliances
and the appointment of friends and
family members to rule other
European countries as French client
states.
Reason by Analogy
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The ages of
Shakespeare and of
Molière are no less past
than are the ages of
Sophocles and of
Virgil. Page 3
A is no less than B…
A/B is no less than
C/D…
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William Shakespeare
1564-1616), English
poet and playwright
(37 plays);
England’s national
poet (154 sonnets)
or the Bard of Avon;
and wordsmith
(inventing 1700
words);
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin,
mostly known by his stage name Moli’ère,
(January 15, 1622 – February 17, 1673)
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a French playwright and actor
who is considered one of the
greatest masters of comedy in
Western literature. Among
Molière's best-known dramas
are Le Misanthrope (The
Misanthrope), L'École des
femmes (The School for Wives),
Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur,
(Tartuffe or the Hypocrite),
L'Avare ou L'École du
mensonge (The Miser), Le
Malade imaginaire (The
Imaginary Invalid), and Le
Bourgeois gentilhomme (The
Bourgeois Gentleman).
Sophocles, Greek Tragedian
(c. 497 BC- 407 BC)
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Sophocles wrote 123
plays during the course
of his life, but only
seven have survived in
a complete form: Ajax,
Antigone, Trachinian
Women, Oedipus the
King, Electra,
Philoctetes and Oedipus
at Colonus.
Virgil, Roman Epic Poet
(70 BCE – 19 BCE)
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Publius Vergilius
Maro (also known
by the Anglicised
forms of his name
as Virgil or Vergil)
was a classical
Roman poet, best
known the Aeneid.
Whitehead
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Furthermore, we should not endeavor to use
propositions in isolations. Page 4
En bloc: en bloc (ä blôk , n bl k )
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adv.
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As a unit; all together: "I have been drawing
our attention to the public and private
qualities of the several arts lest they be
treated en bloc" (William H. Gass).
Approaching a subject/Topic
by consequences
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The consequences of a plethora of halfdigested theoretical knowledge are
deplorable. Page 4
Make a list of consequences and arrange
them by the degrees of importance or some
other logic.
This works most effective when drafting a
proposal in which you want to convince your
audience to accept your point of view
For instance, the relationship between a chair
and energy/oil issue
Whitehead, page 4
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Education is the acquisition of the art of
the utilization of knowledge. Page 4
Pragmatism or practical dimension in
education…
If it were easy, the book ought to be
burned;
In education, as elsewhere, the broad
primrose path leads to a nasty place.
Keeping Knowledge Alive
page 5
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It contains within itself the problem of
keeping knowledge alive, of preventing
it from becoming inert, which is the
central problem of all education.
Seven Wise Men of Greece
page 6
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The Seven Sages (of
Greece) or Seven
Wise Men (c. 620
BCE–550 BCE) was the
title given by ancient
Greek tradition to seven
early 6th century B.C.E.
philosophers, statesmen
and law-givers who
were renowned in the
following centuries for
their wisdom.
Seven Wise Men of Greece &
Their Wise Sayings
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Solon of Athens - "Nothing in excess"
Chilon of Sparta - "Know thyself"
Thales of Miletus - "To bring surety brings ruin"
Bias of Priene - "Too many workers spoil the
work"
Cleobulus of Lindos - "Moderation is the chief
good"
Pittacus of Mitylene - "Know thine opportunity"
Periander of Corinth - "Forethought in all things"
See the Wood by Means of the Trees
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The problem of education is to make
the pupil see the wood by means of the
trees. Page 6
What’s the limit?
Life in all its manifestations…
First-hand learning vs. second-hand
learning
Part vs. Whole—Synecdoche
Read Aloud and Enjoy
Whitehead’s Elegant Prose
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Elegant intellects which despise the theory of
quantity, are but half developed. They are more to be
pitied than blamed, The scraps of gibberish, which in
their school-days were taught to them in the name of
algebra, deserve some contempt. This question of
the degeneration of algebra into gibberish, both in
word and in fact, affords a pathetic instance of the
uselessness of reforming educational schedules
without a clear conception of the attributes which
you wish to evoke in the living minds of the children.
Two Models: Vivid vs. dry
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The curves of the history are more vivid
and more informing than the dry
catalogues of names and dates which
comprise the greater part of that arid
school study. Page 8
Geoffrey Chaucer
(c. 1343 – 25 October 1400)
Mismatch between this Portrait
and his hilarious Stories
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an English author, poet,
philosopher, bureaucrat,
courtier and diplomat. Although
he wrote many works, he is best
remembered for his unfinished
frame narrative The Canterbury
Tales. Sometimes called the
father of English literature,
Chaucer is credited by some
scholars as the first author to
demonstrate the artistic
legitimacy of the vernacular
English language, rather than
French or Latin.
In this sense, he is a British
Dante as Lu Xun in China.
Chaucer, Geoffrey
variety in subject matter, genre, tone, and style
with complexities and humor
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Perhaps the chief characteristics of Chaucer's works are their
variety in subject matter, genre, tone, and style and in the
complexities presented concerning the human pursuit of a
sensible existence. Yet his writings also consistently reflect an
all-pervasive humour combined with serious and tolerant
consideration of important philosophical questions. From his
writings Chaucer emerges as poet of love, both earthly and
divine, whose presentations range from lustful cuckoldry to
spiritual union with God. Thereby, they regularly lead the reader
to speculation about man's relation both to his fellows and to
his Maker, while simultaneously providing delightfully
entertaining views of the frailties and follies, as well as the
nobility, of mankind.
The Black Death
1348-1350
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The Black Death (8-9) was
one of the deadliest pandemics
in human history, peaking in
Europe between 1348 and
1350. It is widely thought to
have been an outbreak of
bubonic plague caused by the
bacterium Yersinia pestis, but
this view has recently been
challenged. Usually thought to
have started in Central Asia, it
had reached the Crimea by
1346. From there, probably
carried by fleas residing on the
black rats that were regular
passengers on merchant ships,
it spread throughout the
Mediterranean and Europe.
between Scylla and Charybdis
between two equally perilous alternatives
neither of which can be passed without encountering
and probably falling victim to the other
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Classical Mythology. a sea
nymph who was transformed
into a sea monster: later
identified with the rock
Scylla
Scylla was a horrible sea
monster, with six long necks
equipped with grisly heads,
each of which contained
three rows of sharp teeth.
Her body consisted of twelve
tentacle-like legs and a cat's
tail and with four to six dogheads ringing her waist.
Odyssey XII
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In Homer's Odyssey XII, Odysseus is given advice by Circe to
sail closer to Scylla, for Charybdis could drown his whole ship:
"Hug Scylla's crag—sail on past her—top speed! Better by far to
lose six men and keep your ship than lose your entire crew" she
warns and tells Odysseus to bid Crataeis prevent her from
pouncing more than once. Odysseus then successfully sails his
ship past Scylla and Charybdis, but Scylla manages to catch six
of his men, devouring them alive:
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"...they writhed
gasping as Scylla swung them up her cliff and there
at her cavern's mouth she bolted them down raw—
screaming out, flinging their arms toward me,
lost in that mortal struggle."
Charybdis
could drown his whole ship
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In Greek mythology,
Charybdis or Kharybdis
(pronounced /kəˈrɪbdɨs/; in
Greek, Χάρυβδις) was a sea
monster, once a beautiful
naiad and the daughter of
Poseidon and Gaia. She
takes form as a huge bladder
of a creature whose face
was all mouth and whose
arms and legs were flippers
and who swallows huge
amounts of water three
times a day before belching
them back out again,
creating whirlpools.
The Nature of Education
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"Education is the acquisition of the art of the
utilization of knowledge." This simple
sentence from Whitehead's introductory
essay in his Aims of Education (1929, p. 4),
epitomizes one of his central themes:
Education cannot be dissected from practice.
"the philosophy of organism"

His general philosophical position, which he called "the
philosophy of organism," insists upon the ultimate reality of
things in relation, changing in time, and arranged in terms of
systems of varying complexity, especially living things, including
living minds. Whitehead rejected the theory of mind that
maintains it is a kind of tool, or dead instrument, needing honing
and sharpening. Nor is it a kind of repository for "inert" ideas,
stored up in neatly categorized bundles. It is an organic element
of an indissoluble mind/body unit, in continuous relationship with
the living environment, both social and natural. Whitehead's
philosophy of organism, sometimes called "process philosophy,"
stands in continuity with his educational thought, both as a
general theoretical backdrop for this educational position and as
the primary application of his fundamental educational themes.
write a paragraph long précis
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A précis (English pronunciation: /preːˈsiː/) is a formal
summary of a given subject. A précis does not seek to
persuade in regard to a subject, but simply to present it, be
that subject an artifact, a person, an event, or even a
concept. It should provide the reader an accurate, brief, and
well-rounded impression of the subject. Any opinion the
writer may hold on a subject should not be reflected in the
writing of a précis. A verbal summary composed in this
fashion may also be called a précis.
The word is French in origin, and retains in English most
of its original French pronunciation. One who produces a
précis on a subject is said to precise (English
pronunciation: /prɪˈsaɪ̯ z/) that subject.
Long or Short
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What is the central idea of your
portfolio?
One sentence summary
Five minutes recap
More detailed description
The history of Christianity
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The history of Christianity concerns the Christian
religion and Church, from the ministry of Jesus up to
contemporary times and denominations.
Christianity differs most significantly from the other
Abrahamic religions in the claim that Jesus Christ is
God the Son. The vast majority of Christians believe
in a triune God consisting of three unified and distinct
persons: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Throughout
its history, the religion has weathered schisms and
theological disputes that have resulted in many
distinct churches. The largest branches of Christianity
are the 1. Roman Catholic Church, 2. the Eastern
Orthodox Church and 3. the Protestant Churches.
Ananias restoring the sight of
Saint Paul by Pietro da Cortona
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According to the
Oxford Dictionary of
the Christian
Church, Paul's
influence on
Christian thinking
arguably has been
more significant
than any other New
Testament author.
Paul popularized Christianity
by an inclusive approach
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original name Saul of Tarsus one of the leaders of the first
generation of Christians, often considered to be the second
most important person in the history of Christianity. In his own
day, although he was a major figure within the very small
Christian movement, he also had many enemies and detractors,
and his contemporaries probably did not accord him as much
respect as they gave Peter and James. Paul was compelled to
struggle, therefore, to establish his own worth and authority. His
surviving letters, however, have had enormous influence on
subsequent Christianity and secure his place as one of the
greatest religious leaders of all time.
Paul included ‘gentile;
Conversion of Saint Paul,
fresco by Michelangelo
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According to the Acts of
the Apostles, his
conversion to
Christianity took place
in a profound lifechanging experience on
the road to Damascus,
capital of Syria.
Together with Simon
Peter and James the
Just, he is among the
most notable of early
Christian missionaries.
Artist Caravaggio Year 1601
Type Oil on canvas
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The painting depicts the
moment recounted in
Chapter 9 of Acts of the
A’postles when Saul, soon to
be the a’postle Paul, fell on
the road to Da’mascus. He
heard the Lord say "I am
Jesus, whom you persecute,
arise and go into the city."
The Golden Legend, a
compilation of medieval
interpretations of biblical
events, may have framed the
event for Caravaggio.
Conversion of Saint Paul
Oil on cypress wood
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On this canvas, Saul is an epileptic and fractured figure,
flattened by the divine flash, flinging his arms upward in a
funnel. There are three figures in the painting. The commanding
muscular horse dominates the canvas, yet it is oblivious to the
divine light that defeated his rider's gravity. The aged groom is
human, but gazes earthward, also ignorant of the moment of
where God intervenes in human traffic. Only Saul, whose gravity
and world have been overturned, lies su’pine on the ground, but
facing heaven, arms supplicating rescue. The groom can see his
shuffling feet, and the horse can plod its hooves, measuring its
steps; but both are blind to the miracle and way. They inhabit
the unilluminated gloom of the upper canvas. Saul, physically
blinded by the event for three days, suddenly sees the Christian
message. For once, his soul can hear the voice of Jesus, asking,
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" His sword and his
youthful sinews are powerless against this illuminating bolt of
faith. Note name change is significant, signaling identify
change.
The Lone Cypress on 17-Mile Drive
California United States.
One of the most famous cypress trees
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In Greek mythology, the
cypress is associated with
Artemis. Ancient Roman
funerary rites used it
extensively. Cupressus
sempervirens is the principal
cemetery tree both in the
Western and Muslim worlds.
Cypresses are used
extensively the Shahnameh,
the great Iranian epic poem
by Ferdowsi.
A Hegelian Cycle
in the History of Christianity
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Jesus as Thesis who
preached to Jews
only;
Catholicism,
represented by St.
Augustine, as
Synthesis that
integrated Jesus
and Paul in the
Middle Age
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Paul as Antithesis
who popularized
Christianity by an
inclusive approach:
to preach to gentile
as well.
Catholicism
generates its own
Antithesis:
Protestants.
St. Augustine
354 – 430
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Bishop of Hippo Regius, also
known as Augustine, St.
Augustine, or St. Austin was a
Romanized Berber philosopher
and theologian.
Note Augustine, being of Berber
descent born to a pagan father
named Patricius and a Catholic
mother named Monica, was
educated in North Africa, which
explains his connection with
Berber. In North Africa, he once
resisted his mother’s pleas to
become a Christian.
Living as a pagan intellectual,
he took a concubine, with whom
he had a son, Adeodatus—
Godsend in Berber, and
became a ‘Manichean.
Manichean & Zoroastrianism
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an adherent of the
dualistic religious
system of Manes, a
combination of Gnostic
Christianity, Buddhism,
Zoroastrianism, and
various other elements,
with a basic doctrine of
a conflict between light
and dark, matter being
regarded as dark and
evil.
 an Iranian religion,
founded ca. 600 b.c. by
Zoroaster, the principal
beliefs of which are in
the existence of a
supreme deity, Ahura
Mazda, and in a cosmic
struggle between a
spirit of good, Spenta
Mainyu, and a spirit of
evil, Angra Mainyu.
Confessions (St. Augustine)
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Confessions (Latin: Confessiones) is the name of
an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by
St. Augustine of Hippo, written between AD 397 and
AD 398. Modern English translations of it are
sometimes published under the title The
Confessions of St. Augustine in order to
distinguish the book from other books with similar
titles, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions.
The work outlines Augustine's sinful youth and his
conversion to Christianity. It is widely seen as the
first Western autobiography ever written, and was an
influential model for Christian writers throughout the
following 1000 years of the Middle Ages.
Studying at Carthage
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At age 17, through the generosity of a fellow citizen
Romanianus, he went to Carthage to continue his education in
rhetoric. His mother, Monica, was a Berber and a devout
Christian, and his father, Patricius, a pagan. Although raised as a
Christian, Augustine left the Church to follow the Manichaean
religion, much to the despair of his mother. As a youth
Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle for a time, associating with
hooligans (Latin: euersores, literally meaning wreckers) who
boasted of their experience with the opposite sex and urged the
inexperienced boys, like Augustine, to seek out experiences with
women or to make up stories about experiences in order to gain
acceptance and avoid ridicule. At a young age, he developed a
stable relationship with a young woman in Carthage, who would
be his concubine for over thirteen years and who gave birth to
his son, Adeodatus (Milania).
Carthage, Latin: Carthago or Karthago,
from the Phoenician meaning
New City, implying it was a 'new Tyre
which refers to a port in S Lebanon
famous for silks and its Tyrian-purple dye
… established anew the ancient faith
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Augustine, a Latin church father, is one of the most important
figures in the development of Western Christianity. He
"established anew the ancient faith" (conditor antiquae rursum
fidei), according to his contemporary, Jerome.
After his conversion and baptism (387), he developed his own
approach to philosophy and theology accommodating a variety
of methods and different perspectives. He believed that the
grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom and
framed the concepts of original sin and just war. When the
Roman Empire in the West was starting to disintegrate,
Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual
City of God (in a book of the same title) distinct from the
material Earthly City. His thought profoundly influenced the
medieval worldview. Augustine's City of God was closely
identified with the church, and was the community which
worshipped God.
Protestantism
In 1517, Martin Luther, a German Augustinian monk,
posted 95 theses on the church door
in the university town of Wittenberg.
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Protestantism is one of the
three major divisions within
Christianity (or four, if
Anglicanism is considered
separately) together with the
Eastern Orthodox Church
and the Roman Catholic
Church. The term is most
closely tied to those groups
that separated from the
Roman Catholic Church in
the sixteenth-century
Protestant Reformation.
What Makes One Righteous?

In Catholic theology, one is
made righteous by a
progressive infusion of grace
accepted through faith and
cooperated with through good
works. Luther's doctrine of
justification differed from
Catholic theology in that
justification rather meant "the
declaring of one to be
righteous", where God imputes
the merits of Christ upon one
who remains without inherent
merit. In this process, good
works are more of an
unessential byproduct that
contribute nothing to one's own
state of righteousness.
Catholic vs. Protestants


the Catholic and Orthodox
doctrines of 1. apos’tolic
succession and 2. the
sacramental ministry of the
clergy.
Apos’tolic succession is
the doctrine in some
Christian theology asserting
that the chosen successors
of the Twelve Apostles, from
the first century to the
present day, have the same
authority, power, and
responsibility as was
conferred upon the apostles
by Jesus.

Sola scriptura – by the holy

Sola fide – by faith alone--

scripture alone -- maintains
that the Bible (rather than
church tradition or
ecclesiastical interpretations
of the Bible) is the final
source of authority for all
Christians.
holds that salvation comes
by faith alone in Jesus as the
Christ, rather than through
good works.
Rebellious to the Catholic
and Orthodox doctrines
Ways to Salvation
by Church and Sacraments only

Distribution of divine
graces by means of
the church and the
sacraments
(Johannes Hopffe,
Hildesheim, before
1615)
Whitehead vs. Hegel




Whitehead
Philosophy of
Process
Organic grow
Three stages-Romance, Precision,
and Generalization—
are connected by
continuity.



Hegel
The System of the
Absolute
Two components—
Thesis and
Antithesis—are
marked by
discontinuity.
The Stage of Romance in Education

Romance is the first moment in the educational
experience. All rich educational experiences begin
with an immediate emotional involvement on the part
of the learner. The primary acquisition of knowledge
involves freshness, enthusiasm, and enjoyment of
learning. The natural ferment of the living mind leads
it to fix on those objects that strike it pre-reflectively
as important for the fulfilling of some felt need on the
part of the learner. It is exciting precisely because
knowledge at this stage is half-concealed with
promise or potential to be mastered.
The Stages of Precision in Education
The stage of precision concerns "exactness of formulation" (Whitehead
1929, p. 18), rather than the immediacy and breadth of relations
involved in the romantic phase.



In isolation from the romantic impetus of education, precision can be
barren, cold, and unfulfilling, and useless in the personal development
of children.
Precision or professional or disciplined?
The contrast between the romance and precision however seems to
suggest that during the romantic phase, the knowledge acquired is not
precise, thus the claim is not airtight or his use of “precision” is not
quite precise.
The Stage of Generalization in Education


Generalization, the last rhythmic element of the
learning process, is the incorporation of romance and
precision into some general context of serviceable
ideas and classifications. It is the moment of
educational completeness and fruition, in which
general ideas or, one may say, a philosophical
outlook, both integrate the feelings and thoughts of
the earlier moments of growth, and prepare the way
for fresh experiences of excitement and romance,
signaling a new beginning to the educational process.
It is comparable to Helel’s synthesis which leads to a
new cycle in acquiring more knowledge.
Whitehead: Chapter III
Ideals have sunk to the level of practice,
which resulted in stagnation

29. The drop from the divine wisdom,
which was the goal of the ancients, to
text-book knowledge of subjects, which
is achieved by the moderns, marks an
educational failu7re, sustained through
the ages.
Lucian
(Greek: Λουκιανός ὁ Σαμοσατεύς,
Latin: Lucianus Samosatensis
(ca. A.D. 125 – after A.D. 180)

an Assyrian
rhetorician and
satirist who wrote in
the Greek language.
He is noted for his
witty and scoffing
nature.
the first novelists in occidental civilization

Lucian was also one of the first novelists in occidental
civilization. In A True Story, a fictional narrative work
written in prose, he parodied some fantastic tales
told by Homer in the Odyssey and some feeble
fantasies that were popular in his time. He
anticipated "modern" fictional themes like voyages to
the moon and Venus, extraterrestrial life and wars
between planets centuries before Jules Verne and H.
G. Wells. His novel is widely regarded as an early, if
not the earliest science fiction work.




In True History, Lucian and a company of adventuring heroes sailing
westward through the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar) are
blown off course by a strong wind, and after 79 days come to an
island. This island is home to a river of wine filled with fish, and bears
a marker indicating that Heracles and Dionysos have traveled to this
point.
Shortly after leaving the island, they are lifted up by a giant waterspout
and deposited on the Moon. There they find themselves embroiled in a
full-scale war between the king of the Moon and the king of the Sun,
involving armies which boast such exotica as stalk-and-mushroom men,
acorn-dogs ("dog-faced men fighting on winged acorns"), and cloudcentaurs. Unusually, the Sun, Moon, stars and planets are portrayed as
locales, each with its unique geographic details and inhabitants.
After returning to the Earth, the adventurers become trapped in a giant
whale; inside the 200-mile-long animal, there live many groups of
people whom they rout in war. They also reach a sea of milk, an island
of cheese and the isle of the blessed. There, he meets the heroes of
the Trojan War, other mythical men and animals, and even Homer.
They find Herodotus being eternally punished for the "lies" he
published in his Histories.
After leaving the Island of the Blessed, they deliver a letter to Calypso
given to them by Odysseus explaining that he wishes he had stayed
with her so he could have lived eternally. They then discover a chasm
in the Ocean, but eventually sail around it, discover a far-off continent
and decide to explore it. The book ends rather abruptly.
Knowledge & Wisdom
Freedom & Discipline
Not oppositional but appositional
no mental development without interest



31. There can be no mental development without
interest. Interest is the sine qua non--an
indispensable condition, element, or factor;
something essential--for attention and apprehension.
Sine qua non orconditio sine qua non (plural sine
quibus non) was originally a Latin legal term for
"(a condition) without which it could not be" or "but
for..." or "without which (there is) nothing." It refers
to an indispensable and essential action, condition, or
ingredient. For instance, “Her presence was the sine
qua non of every social event.”
Medieval schoolboy got birched
on the bare buttocks
A whipping with a birch rod, a flogging. to send one to Birching
(Birchin, Birchen) Lane: i.e. for a whipping
(with a punning reference to Birchin Lane in London)


A birch rod (often
shortened to "birch") is a
bundle of leafless twigs
bound together to form an
implement for administering
corporal punishment—till
1950s.
Only if the recipient was a
small child could he or she
practicably be punished over
the knee of the applicant.
Otherwise the child would be
bent over an object such as
a chair. For judicial
punishments the recipient
could even be tied down if
likely to move about too
much or attempt to escape.

Traditionally, birches were soaked in brine
(heavily salted water) before use, which
greatly increased the weight, flexibility and
strength of the twigs, making the punishment
more severe both in terms of pain, and in
terms of damage to the victim's flesh in the
form of cuts and weals (ridge on the flesh
raised by a blow). Because of its antiseptic
properties, the brine also helped prevent
infection developing in the wounds following
the punishment.
Élan vital for “vital impetus” or “vital force”


Joy is the normal healthy spur for the Élan vital.
Élan vital, coined by French philosopher Henri
Bergson in his 1907 book Creative Evolution, was
translated in the English edition as "vital impetus",
but is usually translated by his detractors as "vital
force". It is a hypothetical explanation for evolution
and development of organisms, which Bergson linked
closely with consciousness. It was the existence of
this vital force, which made people at that time
believe that they were not able to synthesize organic
molecules.
Knowledge vs. Barren Knowledge
Philosophy of Organism
& Process Philosophy



Philosophy of Organism or Organic Realism is how Alfred North
Whitehead described his metaphysics. It is now known as process
philosophy.
Central to this school is the idea of con’crescence. Concrescence means
growing together (com/con from Latin for "together", crescence from
Latin crescere/cret- grow), the present is given by a consense -- Jointsense (equivalent to consciousness) of subjective forms. We are
multiple individuals, but there are also multiple individual agents of
consciousness operant in the construction of the given. Marvin Minsky
calls this the "society of mind" in his book Society of Mind.
Whitehead's "subjective forms" complement "eternal objects" in his
metaphysical system; eternal objects being entities not unlike Plato's
archetypal Forms. In Process and Reality, Whitehead proposes that his
'organic realism' be used in place of classical materialism.
Paralysis of Thought


Generated by the aimless accumulation
of precise knowledge
This term will appear again in James
Joyce who strongly opposes a dogmatic
approach.


John Bull's Other Island is a comedy about
Ireland, written by G. Bernard Shaw in 1904. Shaw
himself was born in Dublin, yet this is the only play of
his where he thematically returned to his homeland.
(See full text) John Bull's Other Island
Dealing with the Irish question of the time, the play
was seen by many major British political figures. A
command performance was given for King Edward
VII. He laughed so hard he broke his chair. This
incident was widely reported and—after more than a
decade of playwriting—Shaw's name was made in
London.
Command Performance, 1905
at Windsor Castle: The Merchant of Venice
by Arthur Bourchier's company
Fusion between a technical and liberal education

48. The antithesis between a technical
and liberal education is fallacious.
Natural vs. Unnatural
揠苗助长
 【yàmiáozhùzhǎng】
try to help the shoots
grow by pulling them
upward - spoil things by
excessive enthusiasm.
【出处】：
《孟子·公孙丑上》：“宋人
有闵其苗之不长而揠之
者，茫茫然归，谓其人
曰：‘今日病矣，予助苗
长矣。’其子趋而往视之
，苗则槁矣。”


Cinderella
“Natural” means “Logical”


The Merchant of
Venice
The dramatic turn is
based on the
premise that
bleeding and cutting
are logically
connected.
best known for Shylock
and the 'pound of flesh'

The climax of the play comes in the court of the Duke of Venice.
Shylock refuses Bassanio's offer of 6,000 ducats, twice the amount of
the loan. He demands his pound of flesh from Antonio. The Duke,
wishing to save Antonio but unwilling to set a dangerous legal
precedent of nullifying a contract, refers the case to a visitor who
introduces himself as Balthazar, a young male "doctor of the law",
bearing a letter of recommendation to the Duke from the learned
lawyer Bellario. The "doctor" is actually Portia in disguise, and the "law
clerk" who accompanies her is actually Nerissa, also in disguise. Portia,
as "Balthazar", asks Shylock to show mercy in a famous speech (The
quality of mercy is not strained—IV,i,185, arguing for debt relief), but
Shylock refuses. Thus the court must allow Shylock to extract the
pound of flesh. Shylock tells Antonio to "prepare". At that very
moment, Portia points out a flaw in the contract (see quibble): the
bond only allows Shylock to remove the flesh, not the "blood", of
Antonio. Thus, if Shylock were to shed any drop of Antonio's blood, his
"lands and goods" would be forfeited under Venetian laws.
The premise is based on a
coincidence from the outside

Cinderella
Seven Sorts of Correlations
Principia Mathematica








Whtiehead page 114.
1. One-to-Many, many-to-one, one-to- one;
2. Serial relations;
3. Inductive relations;
4. Selective relations;
5. Vector relations;
6. Ratio relations;
7. Three-cornered and four-cornered relations
in geometry