lOMoARcPSD|21126671
Process Philosophy
Philosophy and Contemporary Ideas (Liberty
University)
lOMoARcPSD|21126671
The Effect of Process Philosophy on America
Michael Petschk
GOVT 200_D04
Professor Mark Haskew
July 11, 2022
lOMoARcPSD|21126671
Process philosophy is defined as being representative of “a process view of life that
emphasizes becoming and progressive knowledge leading to a perfect society, which stands in
direct contrast to absolute philosophy or an absolute view of life that is the basis for Biblical
Christianity.” (Ferdon, 2019). As Romanticism-Transcendentalism began to decline after the
European Revolutions and First American Revolution the philosophers across the world began to
look for a new explanation of faith and vision bring about process philosophy. As the ideology of
process philosophy began evolving over time different people like Karl Marx and Vladimir
Ulyanov (Lenin). After these minds thought on this new philosophy it began to lead to political
ideologies and ways that people should be treating each other. It is from this that process
philosophy also gained definitions like the one given by Woods where he wrote “Process
philosophy, which has pre-Socratic beginnings,5 provides a comprehensive and unified
perspective of reality, its character, and how we might understand ourselves in that reality.”
( Process Philosophy can be broken down into 4 categories which are relativism,
environmentalism, progressivism, developmentalism. Each of these categories explain different
facets of life and the problems that we face. Relativism is defined by Ferdon as “relativism
replaces absolutism, and exchanges fixity and a static sense of reality for constant fluctuation,
even in the area of truth and morals.” (Ferdon, 2019). Environmentalism tells that the
environment is causative in nature or that the environment is an external force that acts on
humans. Progressivism refers to the need for change being a part of our genetic make-up and a
necessity for evolution to take place. Finally, developmentalism talks about reflecting back on
the genetic point of origin to understand and predict the trends and development of people
especially in when talking about societal progress. When looking at problems like civil rights
and
lOMoARcPSD|21126671
family/ marriage there is major changes that have occurred over the last few centuries that can all
be tied back process philosophy and the way of thinking that comes with it.
If one was to look back on civil rights in America and how it has progressed over the
years major changes can be seen. Some of these changes can be said to be brought on by
changing times and enlightenment. However, when comparing America in 1800s to the America
in the late 1900s to early 2000s there is major changes that occur. From women being able to
vote to desegregation the country saw vast improvements on how people were treated and the
rights they had. As the thinking of process philosophy began to progress and the liberals who
held the thinking process began to hold more political power the change in civil right began to
happen. The term liberal once was used to describe libertarian liberals who wanted absolute
liberty. In the 20th century liberals began to think in a way that was more egalitarian. Before the
government ensured liberties for the citizens which included liberties that were in the original
draft of the constitution. These constitutional liberties included things like the right to bear arms,
worshiping freely, and assembling freely. When talking about the change Martin writes “Today,
however, we have only civil rights, rights granted by government.” (Martin, 2006). This is
represented in the change that happened as the process philosophy started to take a stronger hold
on the American government.
When looking at process philosophy and the changes that it brought on there is a clear shift in
worldview that occurred. Before process philosophy a biblical worldview still prevailed in most
people and encouraged a lot of decisions. This was especially true when looking at political
decision. When the founding father wrote about freedom of religion it was still inferred that
people were worshiping but gave them the option of how to worship. It is with this worldview
that the original rights were established. Process philosophy denies that there is a greater force
lOMoARcPSD|21126671
that is over all people. As the way of thinking began to be more and more premiant the
worldviews started to be more about rights and less about God. This also led to a bias to those
who hold a biblical worldview. Oliver wrote “…there already seems to be a bias in favor of
religions focusing on one ultimate reality, whereas religious pluralism should be able to relate to
any religion without initial bias.” (Oliver, 2019). It is because of this that those who hold the
worldview of process philosophy generalize about those who hold other worldviews. Because of
the ideals that come with process philosophy the worldview that it creates is one that enforces
equal rights for all people thus further enforcing why those who follow process philosophy
would be supportive of civil rights.
lOMoARcPSD|21126671
Reference
Martin, G. R. (2006). Prevailing Worldviews of Western Society Since 1500. Wesleyan
Publishing House. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/978-1-931283-69-4
Ferdon (2019). Constitutional Government and Free Enterprise: A Biblical Christian Worldview
Approach and Emphasis Interactive Notes (3rd Edition). Kendall Hunt
Publishing. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781792402081
Oliver, L., Dr. (2019). Panentheism and the Conception of the Ultimate in John B. Cobb’s
Process Philosophy. Sophia, 58(4), 631-643. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-019-0715-
8
Woods, P. (2021). Process philosophy: Organizing mentalities for glimpsing pharmacy practice ‘in
flight’. Research In Social And Administrative Pharmacy, 17(12), 2082-2088. doi:
10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.04.009
