Whitehead (2010) argues that we sense objects around us. Sensing, which Whitehead calls prehension, is something every object in the universe does, from the level of a particle to a galaxy and beyond. The objects which we see around us are collections of particles which have sensed each other and agreed to form and maintain an enduring object such as a stone, star, planet, and human being. The particles have sensed or prehended each other with the purpose of seeking harmony. The objects around us are harmonious forms, a choice of the unique to form a society.
If everything we see and experience in the universe is a society working towards and maintaining harmony, then chaos and decay occurs when the particles which comprise the society no longer agree to work together. At the level of a human being, we experience this as illness, at galaxies we see super nova and there are many manifestations in between and beyond these examples. Whitehead (ibid) observes that all objects sense each other in novel ways, the result is that although two objects in the universe may look the same, each is unique. Whitehead’s model of cosmology lays out a universe brimming with potential and novelty, full of objects sensing each other and forming societies which endure and then collapse.
In our experience of the everyday, we can sense or prehend in complex ways. Our cognition allows us to have a more sophisticated relationship with the world around us than, for example, a star. The potential for novelty in the life of a human being is endless. It is possible to argue that life for a human being is an invitation to notice differing aspects of the world around us (Wittgenstein, 2010). This places use, as human beings, in a place where we can play with our perspective (Nishitani, 1982).
Religion provides a good example in practice as put forward by Wittgenstein (2010). Wittgenstein argued that the Christian religion should not be reduced to a search for evidence of God, but rather focus on how engagement with the rituals, stories, and symbolism are a means are to see what already exists differently.
In other words, the above describes a means of noticing. Nishitani (1982) from the Buddhist perspective presents similar. Taking the position that we impose structures, labels, and expectations on the world around us, and these can be constraining, we should hold onto our structures, labels, and expectations lightly. Nishitani (ibid) drawing on Buddhist philosophy, observes that a fixed perspective leads to illusion, it is at odds with the vibrant and changing cosmology put forward by Whitehead. A perspective which is in closer contact with reality (and certainly a reality captured in quantum physics), is one in which we play with perspective (Nishitani, 1982).
Playing with perspective opens us up to the noticing of aspect presented by Wittgenstein (1984), The role of religion, for both Nishitani and Wittgenstein, is a means to look at the familiar and see something different within it. The symbols, stories and ritual on which religion is built provide ways of articulating experience into new and more productive aspects.
It is not necessary to turn to religion, but it is perhaps wise to keep in mind the methodological perspective of religion, twinning personal transformation with a constantly changing universe. And usefully, building into our lives ways of looking at situations from different perspectives is a means of potentially overcoming cognitive bias. A bias, such as the confirmation bias, is fed by rigid focus on one perspective (Kahneman, 2017).
Ways of achieving the above outside of religious practice is to frequently connect with people who have different opinions to us, trying new hobbies, sports, and a wide variety of literature. A noticing of aspect can come from many sources, but the key point is that it requires connecting with something beyond our own current perspective.
This brings the topic to working from home. In an office we may encounter multiple different perspectives which provide us with a means to notice different aspects. Naturally, there are also many ways in which the collective can reinforce bias and single perspective (Kahneman, 2017), however, let us place the focus on the potential lack of connection which home working can bring. The point is that when we work from home, we do not experience the same level of connection. We have far more conversations with ourselves.
With the above in mind, with more people working from home, it may make sense that we need to play with perspective with more gusto than we have ever done before. So many aspects of religions and philosophies from around the world have focused upon the perils of a closed mind and a lack of connection as it seems the potential for this condition to lead a human being astray are constant and timeless.
In closing, returning to the cosmology of Whitehead, many objects in the universe and in our lives may seem similar, but each one has novelty within it. Taking a playful approach to perspective will allow us to see the novelty and change constantly present in our world. It will allow us to step outside of ourselves and see the familiar in very different ways.
Reading
Wittgenstein, L., (2010) Philosophical investigations. John Wiley & Sons.
Nishitani K. (1982) Religion and Nothingness. Translated by Jan Van Bragt. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Whitehead, A.N., (2010) Process and Reality (Corrected Edition) Simon and Schuster
Daniel, K., 2017. Thinking, fast and slow. Penguin
