| This dissertation examines two of the twentieth century's most important and unique intellectual developments: Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy, and transpersonal psychology--especially as exemplified in the work of Stanislav Grof. While the first part of this dissertation serves as an introduction to the theories of Whitehead and Grof, the overarching theme of this essay is that a synchronization of these two systems provides the basis for a new cosmological vision of reality capable of guiding our civilization through the challenges of the twenty-first century.; More concretely, this essay attempts to demonstrate how Whitehead's philosophy can serve as a metaphysical foundation for the entire field of psychology: a foundation capable of coherently and logically explicating the central terms, theories, and phenomena of this diverse discipline. The evidence from nonordinary--or "altered"--states of consciousness is explored, and a Whiteheadian interpretation of transpersonal experiences is presented.; With this groundwork laid, Whitehead's philosophy is interfaced with Grof's cartography of nonordinary experiences. Here we see some of the ways in which process philosophy is able to clarify, interpret, and critique the evidence and theories from the transpersonal field--as well as how this evidence helps to flesh out Whitehead's cosmology, and to support some of his more speculative ideas. In conclusion, the synthetic vision of reality suggested by this Whiteheadian-transpersonal cosmology is explicated briefly; and it is proposed that this new envisagement of the nature of human existence and the universe can provide the intellectual and spiritual basis for a twenty-first century, planetary cosmology. |
