There is a unique intellectual ancestry which deserves a bit more discussion. I've had the privilege of learning the trace of these touchpioints. They are free, as the story is public. I have recently met some of their disciples. I realized the tragedy involved. So, I share.
Overview
Whitehead developed Principia Mathematica with Bertrand Russell from 1902 to 1914. (Gertrude Stein would spend 6 weeks at the Whitehead home). Think of them all together with Ramanujan, Hardy and Littlewood! It would require the Langland program in 1968 to start to link their math continents. Ironically, they ate together but never made the bridge.
In 1923 Whitehead leaves Trinity for Harvard. His weeknight class includes a semi-promising student, J. Robert Oppenheimer to bang the math in his head.
https://whiteheadresearch.org/2023/07/26/whitehead-and-oppenheimer/
Whitehead reaches a metaphysical epiphany in 1929. Process Inquiry. [Aka, Science will save everything]. Whitehead would make touchpoints with Einstein and Harvard's director of astronomy, etc. He retires in 1947.
In 1997...Zhihe Wang and John Cobb would take Whitehead's philosophy and set up 38 standing process inquiry centers as part of China's Eco-Civilization Second Enlightenment. They claim to have trained 38MM.
HWhitehead's former disciple, HN Wieman becomes the Whitehead expert for University of Chicago. From 1924-1951, Wieman is challenged to overturn Whitehead's ideas. He writes updates that forecast human evil more prominently aka Creative Interchange.
In 1952, MLK Jr at BU would be tasked with comparing Wieman's work. That's the "Dr." after the title Reverend. MLK would retort the philosophers. Compare that to the Oppenheimer clip. All tragedy of science.
https://youtu.be/lb13ynu3Iac?si=EQM8XYZ3lqzQC6vv
https://youtu.be/U0uEVTh0ios?si=5SL37D7whcWhJmd2
Sadly, Wieman's work can only be understood as you would buy a laptop,( i.e. the seller assumes you know how a computer works). That is how Wieman writes. He assumed readers understand the Whiteheadian thought. As they do in China. Wieman's professional rejection was compounded by a horrible personal life. He is relegated to obscurity. His books? Largely out of print.
In the CNKI database you can search Whitehead + quantum, + education. Dozens of PhD titles. Lots too on MLK. But, nothing on a middle ground.
A growing sense of drama unfolds...
Now the tension...and the icons ram each other. The story reasonates today.
Do we choose Oppenheimer and Whitehead's thinking? Can we mesh that with justice and love? How about the notion of Wisdom? Where does that fit?
The Max Planck Institute has done 30 years of study on the topic. I was able to share this article with a member of the Nobel-Turing meetings last summer.
There is much more drama to the story. And more reflection involved.
Thanks for letting me share with this important group.
P.S. please use it as free. This is only a hobby for me. I stumbled onto it.
David Fleming
615-9+0-9010