A. N. Whitehead and Social Theory

Download or read book A. N. Whitehead and Social Theory written by Michael Halewood and published by Anthem Press. This book was released on 2013-10-01 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contemporary importance of A. N. Whitehead (1861–1947) lies in his direct yet productive challenge to the culture of thought inherent in modernity, a challenge that suffuses science, social theory and philosophy alike. Unlike some of the more destructive aspects of postmodernism and poststructuralism, Whitehead’s diagnosis of the conceptual fault lines of the modern era does not entail a passive relativism. Instead, he calls for a renewal of our concepts, offering a positive, philosophical approach based on becoming, relativity, and a reconception of subjectivity and the social. This book outlines Whitehead’s philosophy, using it to reorient a range of specific questions and topics within contemporary social theory.