In his process philosophy, Whitehead (2010) frequently uses the verb “adventure”. Adventure captures well the experience of living in a dynamic and constantly changing universe. At the visible level, such as trees as they blow in the wind and change throughout seasons, and the non-visible level, such as the particles which cohere to create a rock, vibrating constantly together, our world and universe is in constant flux.
Many changes happen at a level we barely notice (Thompson, 2014, Varela et al 2016). To gain a grip on the world we use categories and assumptions as a scaffolding. If we did not use assumptions and categories, we would be in a world of constant novelty and having to renegotiate our position continually. Imagine meeting your colleagues and friends every day and never being able to assume what would happen even at the most basic level. Living in those circumstances would be stressful and exhausting.
However, it is wise not to allow categories and assumptions to lapse into taking things for granted. This would mean that we are attending to the world with no alertness, we are failing to notice subtlety and nuance (MCgilchrist, 2021). In other words, we are no longer adventuring, wondering what else our world may offer us next, we are simply static, expecting things to never change.
With the above in mind, there are some overlaps with Whitehead’s (2010) concept of adventuring and Nishitani’s (1982) concept of play. Nishitani observed that our assumptions will all inevitably be overturned by the constantly changing nature of reality, and therefore we need to play with our beliefs. Play allows us to have a more imaginative relationship with reality and therefore, when our assumptions are tested, we can play with them and creatively transform them into something else. The alternative for Nishitani was nihilism, an inability to process unwanted change (Nishitani, 1982).
Therefore, to approach life as an adventurer who plays with beliefs and assumptions, places a person in closer contact with reality because change is anticipated. If change is anticipated then the world becomes a lively dynamic place, full of inexhaustible opportunity (McGilchrist, 2021). This approach to life is perhaps at the root of the Buddhist notion of falling in love with reality; the world is full of exciting surprises.
Reading
Nishitani K. (1982) Religion and Nothingness. Translated by Jan Van Bragt. Berkeley: University of California Press.
McGilchrist, I (2021) The Matter of Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World. Perspectiva
Whitehead, A.N., (2010) Process and Reality (Corrected Edition) Simon and Schuster.
Thompson, E (2014) Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind. Harvard University Press.
Varela, F.J. Thompson, E. Rosch, E (2016) The Embodied Mind Cognitive Science and Human Experience. MIT Press.
