Whitehead’s First Coming to Terms with the Legacy of Modern Science and Philosophy

Abstract

This article summarises the underlying points of Whitehead’s first systematic critique of the „materialistic“ theory, which dominated modern scientific reasoning, as well as the philosophical motivation of his criticism of modern epistemology that originated as a result of a specific link towards science. Together with an outline of Whitehead’s critique, this study off ers a number of illustrative quotes from the works of thinkers against whom Whitehead delineated his own philosophy since his own texts do not systematically come to terms with primary literature. In conclusion, this study sketches out the key traits of Whitehead’s own position representative of the particular phase of his thinking under scrutiny.