Panpsychism and Speculative Biology: A.N. Whitehead and C.H. Waddington
Revue roumaine de philosophie December 1, 2025 L. McHenry
The geneticist C.H. Waddington drew on A.N. Whitehead's metaphysics to develop his scientific research on organism development and evolution. Whitehead's concepts of process, creativity, and choice addressed flaws in purely mechanistic and materialistic philosophy. The paper examines these flaws, explains how Whitehead's concept of organism resolves them, and explores Whitehead's influence on Waddington. Both thinkers' views suggest a revolutionary paradigm shift in theoretical biology.