Description
Book SynopsisThe present volume endeavors to make a contribution to contemporary Whitehead studies by clarifying his axiological process metaphysics, including his theory of values, concept of aesthetic experience, and doctrine of beauty, along with his philosophy of art, literature and poetry. Moreover, it establishes an east-west dialogue focusing on how Alfred North Whitehead's process aesthetics can be clarified by the traditional Japanese Buddhist sense of evanescent beauty. As this east-west dialogue unfolds it is shown that there are many striking points of convergence between Whitehead's process aesthetics and the traditional Japanese sense of beauty. However, the work especially focuses on two of Whitehead's aesthetic categories, including the penumbral beauty of darkness and the tragic beauty of perishability, while further demonstrating parallels with the two Japanese aesthetic categories of yûgen and aware. It is clarified how both Whitehead and the Japanese tradition have articulated
Trade ReviewTragic Beauty in Whitehead and Japanese Aesthetics embodies the best in comparative philosophy. Both Whitehead and various Japanese thinkers (Dogen, Nishida, etc.) are mutually illuminated in this clear and insightful study. Further, readers who are interested in the crucial issue of tragic beauty will be edified by the author’s treatment of this topic even if they are not experts in Whitehead or Japanese thought. Highly recommended! -- Daniel A. Dombrowski, Seattle University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Abbreviations About the Cover I. Primacy of Aesthetics 1. Primacy of Aesthetics in Japanese Culture 2. Whitehead’s Aesthetics: Early Works 3. Whitehead’s Aesthetics: Process and Reality 4. Whitehead’s Aesthetics: Later Works 5. Whitehead’s Retrieval of Beauty 6. The Problem of Aestheticism (i) Whitehead’s Aestheticism (ii) Japanese Aestheticism II. Beauty as Aesthetic Quality 7. Whitehead’s Metaphysics of Aesthetic Quality 8. Aesthetic Quality in East-West Perspective (i) S. C. Pepper, (ii) F.S.C Northrop, (iii) R. M. Pirsig, (iv) H. N. Wieman, (v) S. K. Langer 9. Whitehead’s Doctrine of Aesthetic Qualities as Eternal Objects 10. Beauty as Synaesthesia in Whitehead, Hartshorne & Japanese Aesthetics III. A Whiteheadian Perspective on Yūgen & Aware in Japanese Aesthetics A. Penumbral Beauty 11. Penumbral Beauty of Darkness in Whitehead’s Process Aesthetics 12. Yūgen as the Beauty of Darkness in Japanese Aesthetics 13. A Whiteheadian Perspective on Yūgen in Japanese Aesthetics B. Tragic Beauty 14. Time as Discontinuous Continuity in Whitehead, Dōgen & Nishida 15. Tragic Beauty in Whitehead's Process Aesthetics 16. Aware in Japanese Aesthetics 17. A Whiteheadian Perspective on Aware in Japanese Aesthetics 18. Tragic Beauty and Peace in Whitehead & Japanese Aesthetics Endnotes Bibliography Glossary
