#1708: How Process Philosophy Centers Human Experience. A Prismatic Tour of “Whitehead’s Universe” by Andrew M. Davis

Dec 7, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Andrew M. Davis, a process philosopher and author, dives into the world of Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy. He emphasizes how human experience shapes reality, exploring concepts like prehension and the integration of mind and matter. Davis also highlights the importance of creativity in understanding our universe and the value-laden nature of existence. Plus, he connects Whitehead’s ideas to art and education, envisioning a re-enchanted cosmos through process and participatory co-creation.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Human Experience As Metaphysical Anchor

Andrew M. Davis says Whitehead centers human experience as an exemplification of nature rather than an exception.
This positions experience as a primary clue to the metaphysical structure of reality.

ANECDOTE

Claremont Class Sparked A Lifelong Study

Andrew M. Davis recounts discovering Whitehead at Claremont while studying theology and the problem of evil.
That class sparked his 'love affair' with Whitehead and led to a PhD focused on mind and value.

INSIGHT

From Logician To Process Metaphysician

Whitehead shifted from mathematics to a process metaphysics after finding mechanistic materialism inadequate for science and theology.
Theologians kept his work alive and now interdisciplinary fields are reviving Whitehead's influence.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

I interviewed Andrew M. Davis about his forthcoming book titled Whitehead's Universe: A Prismatic Introduction on Thursday, December 4, 2025. It's absolutely the best introduction to Alfred North Whitehead's work in Process Philosophy, and I can't recommend it enough. The worst part is that it isn't set to release until sometime next year, but you can get an early look at some drafts if you sign up with some of Davis' upcoming Whitehead's Universe courses that are being offered in January and February 2026. Whitehead's Process Philosophy centers the human experience at the center of it's philosophy, and therefore focuses on the dynamic flux and flow of experience as we inherit past memories, anticipate the future, decide what actions to take moment to moment, and synthesize it all through our feelings which help to solidify our core memories through the peak emotional experiences of our lives. Davis helps us navigate through Whitehead's neologisms, which are attempting to rewire our brain to think about the nature of reality in a completely new and different way. The subject-predicate and noun-emphasized object-oriented structure of the English isn't doing us any favors, but thankfully the immersive experiences that are offered through immersive art and entertainment is very much oriented into the dynamic flux of our experience, through what is theorized as presence theory in virtual reality. I have my own elemental theory of presence, and in this conversation with Davis I discovered that there's a lot of resonance with how Whitehead is reconceptualizing the nature of reality into a more verb-based event ontology. This is my fifth deep dive on Process Philosophy, and so be sure to check out my other conversations here: #965: Primer on Whitehead’s Process Philosophy as a Paradigm Shift & Foundation for Experiential Design #1147: Thirteen Philosophers on the Problem of Opposites: Grant Maxwell’s Integration & Difference Book & Archetypal Approaches to Character #1183: From Kant to an Organic View of Reality: Scaffolding a Process-Relational Paradigm Shift with Whitehead Scholar Matt Segall #1568: A Process-Relational Philosophy View on AI, Intelligence, & Consciousness with Matt Segall #1708: How Process Philosophy Centers Human Experience. A Prismatic Tour of “Whitehead’s Universe” by Andrew M. Davis This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality