Book Description
In this thesis, I will investigate the extent to which process philosophers have been influenced by the systems of the substance philosophy they claim to reject. They reject substance philosophy because of its inadequate description of experience; in arguing that the universe is eternal and ultimately good, substance philosophers must also deny the experience of suffering and tragedy. In order to account for this experience, process philosophers such as Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, and the exponents of Hua-yen Buddhism emphasize the reality of change and loss. I will argue that Whitehead, by redefining value in terms of process, is able to account for tragedy while providing a vision by which it may be overcome. However, Hartshorne and Hua-yen Buddhism hold concepts of value derived from substance metaphysics. This leads to difficulties in both theory and praxis.