It is the critique of Western metaphysics in the thought of the later Martin Heidegger that poses the problem for consideration in this work. Namely, if Western metaphysics as onto-theology has indeed fulfilled its prefigured configurations and found its completion in the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, as Heidegger claims, then what place, if any, is left for those theologians inspired by Alfred North Whitehead's metaphysics? To assist in developing a basis upon which to address this issue, I limit this work to a critical examination of Whitehead's metaphysics in light of the later Heidegger's critique of onto-theology. Therefore Heidegger's critique is normative for this project. The application of Heidegger's critique to Whitehead's metaphysics results in the following conclusion: Whitehead's metaphysics does not commit the mistakes detailed in Heidegger's critique of metaphysics. It is demonstrated, further, that the general character of Whitehead's metaphysics as fallibilistic at least leaves his metaphysics open to the possibility of Being (Sein). Specifically, it is shown that Whitehead's metaphysics does not divide entities into existence and essence; nor does it search for the explanatory principle (arche); nor is God understood as causa prima and therefore causa sui; nor is Creativity an empty concept and therefore nihilistic; nor is his metaphysics rooted in the cogito sum, nor does it anthropomorphize the world in order to secure certainty amongst multiple perspectives. Whitehead's metaphysics does not lead away from Being (Sein); rather, it may very well provide an occasion for Being (Sein). After this evaluation there are some brief remarks offered about how Whitehead's metaphysics, while not obscuring Being (Sein) in any of the ways detailed by Heidegger, also offers a philosophy of nature. This philosophy of nature leaves open the possibility of developing a natural theology that is not necessarily indicted by Heidegger's critique. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Let F be a free group of finite rank. Given words u, v ∈ F, J.H.C. Whitehead solved the decision problem of finding an automorphism φ ∈ Aut(F), carrying u to v. He used topological methods to produce an algorithm. Higgins and Lyndon gave a very concise proof of the problem based on the works of Rapaport. We provide a detailed account of Higgins and Lyndon’s proof of the peak reduction lemma and the restricted version of Whitehead’s theorem, for cyclic words as well as for sets of cyclic words, with a full explanation of each step. Then, we give an inductive proof of Whitehead’s minimization theorem and describe Whitehead’s decision algorithm. Noticing that Higgins and Lyndon’s work is limited to the cyclic words, we extend their proofs to ordinary words and sets of ordinary words. In the last chapter, we mention an example given by Whitehead to show that the decision problem for finitely generated subgroups is more difficult and outline an approach due to Gersten to overcome this difficulty. We also give an extensive literature survey of Whitehead’s algorithm / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

1 Abstract This doctoral thesis focuses on the analogies between Virginia Woolf's "personal philosophy" and Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy, or in his own words "philosophy of organism." The thesis does not claim that Whitehead's thought directly influenced Woolf's fiction, rather, it makes use of a zeitgeist model. The two contemporaries shared the rejection of long-established dualisms, particularly the Cartesian mind-body dualism, the binaries of subject and object, animate and inanimate matter, the human and the nonhuman, and last but not least the individual and the community. Interested in the philosophical enquiry into the problem of reality and the visible world, Woolf redefines the notion of "things" in her fiction and adopts the processist view that objects may be defined as clusters of events, which are not separate from the perceiving subject but interrelated with it. Moreover, Woolf illustrates her interest in the natural world in most of her works and often suggests that what we normally think to be inert and lifeless matter, may, in fact, also have some proto-conscious, or proto- experiential, qualities like Whitehead's "actual occasions." The second part of the thesis focuses on Woolf's attempt to overcome one's individual identity in favour of adopting a more inclusive and...

This thesis' focus is on the use of Alfred North Whitehead's concept of Actual Entities as a computational tool for computer science and the introduction of a novel usage of Actual Entities as learning agents. Actual Entities are vector based agents that interact within their environment through a process called prehension. It is the combined effect of multiple Actual Entities working within a Colony of Prehending Entities that produces emergent, intelligent behavior. It is not always the case that prehension functions for desired behavior are known beforehand and frequently the functions are too complex to construct by hand. Through the use of Artificial Neural Networks and a technique called Observational Intelligence, Actual Entities can extract the characteristic behavior of observable phenomena. This behavior is then converted into a functional form and generalized to provide a knowledge base for how an observed object interacts with its surroundings.

This doctoral thesis comprises a critical comparison of the theme of concursus, the way in which God and humanity interact, in the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions. The comparison is literature-based / similarities and differences in the theological literature of each tradition are compared in order to determine the extent of compatibilities and incompatibilities. The hypothesis is that similarities in the literature sufficiently leverage differences. The first chapter includes a statement of the problem, namely that the global expansion of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements necessitates interaction with more academically and philosophically oriented theological traditions such as Process- Relational theology. The second chapter comprises an historical survey of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements, including key dogmas and practices. Chapter three comprises an historical survey of Process-Relational theology, including its philosophical, metaphysical, and scientific orientations. Seminal Process- Relational theists such as Whitehead, Hartshorne, and Cobb are surveyed. Chapter four consists of a broad historical survey of the theological theme of concursus, including the notions of causation, free will, and determinism in both philosophy and theology. Further, the fourth chapter includes a broad historical survey of pneumatology, which is framed as the basis for a comparison of concursus. Chapters five and six comprise surveys of concursus in the Pentecostal- Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions respectively. Chapter seven entails an extensive analysis of differences and synthesis of similarities between the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational notions of concursus. Four differences and four similarities are identified. Differences and similarities are ranked and compared for compatibility...

This doctoral thesis comprises a critical comparison of the theme of concursus, the way in which God and humanity interact, in the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions. The comparison is literature-based / similarities and differences in the theological literature of each tradition are compared in order to determine the extent of compatibilities and incompatibilities. The hypothesis is that similarities in the literature sufficiently leverage differences. The first chapter includes a statement of the problem, namely that the global expansion of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements necessitates interaction with more academically and philosophically oriented theological traditions such as Process- Relational theology. The second chapter comprises an historical survey of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements, including key dogmas and practices. Chapter three comprises an historical survey of Process-Relational theology, including its philosophical, metaphysical, and scientific orientations. Seminal Process- Relational theists such as Whitehead, Hartshorne, and Cobb are surveyed. Chapter four consists of a broad historical survey of the theological theme of concursus, including the notions of causation, free will, and determinism in both philosophy and theology. Further, the fourth chapter includes a broad historical survey of pneumatology, which is framed as the basis for a comparison of concursus. Chapters five and six comprise surveys of concursus in the Pentecostal- Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions respectively. Chapter seven entails an extensive analysis of differences and synthesis of similarities between the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational notions of concursus. Four differences and four similarities are identified. Differences and similarities are ranked and compared for compatibility...

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This doctoral thesis comprises a critical comparison of the theme of concursus, the way in which God and humanity interact, in the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions. The comparison is literature-based; similarities and differences in the theological literature of each tradition are compared in order to determine the extent of compatibilities and incompatibilities. The hypothesis is that similarities in the literature sufficiently leverage differences. The first chapter includes a statement of the problem, namely that the global expansion of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements necessitates interaction with more academically and philosophically oriented theological traditions such as Process- Relational theology. The second chapter comprises an historical survey of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements, including key dogmas and practices. Chapter three comprises an historical survey of Process-Relational theology, including its philosophical, metaphysical, and scientific orientations. Seminal Process- Relational theists such as Whitehead, Hartshorne, and Cobb are surveyed. Chapter four consists of a broad historical survey of the theological theme of concursus, including the notions of causation, free will, and determinism in both philosophy and theology. Further, the fourth chapter includes a broad historical survey of pneumatology, which is framed as the basis for a comparison of concursus. Chapters five and six comprise surveys of concursus in the Pentecostal- Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions respectively. Chapter seven entails an extensive analysis of differences and synthesis of similarities between the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational notions of concursus. Four differences and four similarities are identified. Differences and similarities are ranked and compared for compatibility. Ultimately, the research question is answered affirmatively and conditionally: yes, according to the literature of both traditions, similarities sufficiently leverage differences, but socio-linguistic barriers may obstruct meaningful mutual transformation. Chapter eight concludes with a brief exploration of ecclesial and social implications. / South Africa

The focus of this thesis is on Actual Entities, a concept created by the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, and how the concept can be applied to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as a behavioral control method. Actual Entities are vector based, atomic units that use a method called prehension to observe their environment and react with various actions. When combining multiple Actual Entities a Colony of Prehending Entities is created; when observing their prehensions an intelligent behavior emerges. By applying the characteristics of Actual Entities to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, specifically in a situation where they are searching for targets, this emergent, intelligent behavior can be seen as they search a designated area and locate specified targets. They will alter their movements based on the prehensions of the environment, surrounding Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and targets.

ABSTRACT Imaginative storytelling offered as an invitation to learning dovetails with the notion of Romance in cyclical, organic learning. It is upon the theme of rhythmic storytelling and its relationship to Alfred North Whitehead’s cycle of Romance/Freedom of “The Wood between the Worlds” that I concentrate in this thesis. The thesis proceeds in four chapters to facilitate such understanding. Chapter One reawakens the childlike wonder of the stories my father related to me when I was young; my personal academic trajectory traces out the Whiteheadian pattern of the overlapping tri-cycle of Romance/Freedom, Precision/Self-Discipline, and Generalization/Freedom. Chapter Two introduces the enchanted Narnian “Wood between the Worlds” envisioned by Clive Staples Lewis with reference to the literary and sensory forests I have known. Chapter Three presents the Voices of the Children from my Grade Two class over a period of one year, based upon my memories and personal anecdotal notes of their stories as well as their creative use of storytelling. I also explore Antonio Machón’s consideration of children’s drawings as storytelling. In conclusion, Chapter Four describes my journeys with First Nations pilot programs Math Warriors (Saskatoon Catholic School Board) and Indigenous Knowledge in Science (Saskatoon Public School Board), leading me to better appreciate Indigenous educational philosophy. In the process I consider insights shared by Verna Kirkness (Cree), Jo-ann Archibald (Stó:lö and Coast Salish), and others. Finally, I interpret “The Wood between the Worlds” from a Whiteheadian perspective, reflecting upon contrasts and commonalities Whitehead may share with Aboriginal thought.

My dissertation argues that the writings of Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence are animated by a shared belief that the way human beings experience and understand their worlds needs to be radically transformed. Their works expose how human experience is canalized by habits reinforced through education and custom, and they explore the ways people might overcome these limitations to expand the receptive possibilities of their experience, illustrating more fruitful ways their readers might engage their worlds. Their novels offer a radical recasting of the human subject and its situation in the environment, one that valorizes a turn away from the fixity of conceptual certainty and an embrace of experiences that trouble clean distinctions between the human being and its world. Reading through the lens of radical empiricism, this project makes the case that Woolf and Lawrence are together engaging in a similar project: they are working from a shared interest in intensive explorations of the seemingly ineffable qualities in concrete human experience and in bringing those accounts into language to suggest the relational constitution of the human being with other people and the environment. They are working experimentally to discern the extent to which the human being can know first-hand its place in the extensive world. In doing so, the authors come to understand such a human being differently, as simultaneously discrete and non-discrete. By examining the methodological and philosophical intersections of these two authors, this project serves as a first step in suggesting a radical empirical British modernism. Woolf’s and Lawrence’s approaches to experience have philosophical implications that become more apparent when read in conjunction with William James’s philosophy of radical empiricism and the related philosophies of Henri Bergson and A. N. Whitehead. While “radical empiricist” is not a common moniker for these philosophers, my project makes the case for the consideration of several of their works as reflective of a line of confluent thought that illuminates the concerns of some modernist literature with developing a new understanding of the human situation through an inclusive attention to lived experience. The project is organized into four chapters. In the first chapter, I establish the radical empirical philosophical situation of Woolf’s and Lawrence’s writing, revealing in their novels how the dispositions of the characters facilitate different worlds, and elaborating the attentive approaches that they valorize through their novels. In the second chapter, I explore their critiques of abstraction, elaborating their concern with fixed abstract forms while countering readings of their work as anti-intellectual or apophatically mystical. In the third chapter, I examine how in and through their novels they engage the difficulty of articulating preconceptual experience, and I explore how they productively use ambiguity towards this end. In the fourth and final chapter, I examine the relational situation of the human individual that their novels disclose and the sort of self-understanding that they champion through their work.