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'''Alfred North Whitehead''' (15.2.1861-1947) was an English mathematician, thinker, publicist, graduate of ''‘Trinity college’'' in [[Cambridge]], professor of applied mathematics and mechanics at London University College and professor of philosophy at the American Hardvard University. He became known as co-author, with B. Russel, of the ''Principia Mathematica'', regarded by C.I. Lewis for ''“intellectual equivalent of Egyptian pyramids.”'' Whitehead was one of few people who were simultaneously both members of English Academy and fellows of the Royal Society of London.
Among his pupils was also [[Herbert Dingle]], a philosopher and historian of science<ref name="Andrle">{{cite book
|author=Michal Andrle
|title=Whitheadova Filosofie Přírody
|publisher=Charles University
|location=Prague
|isbn=978-80-87378-22-9
|pages=
|language=Czech, English summary}}</ref>: known for his criticism, published in [[Nature (journal)|Nature magazine]], of [[Einstein]]’s [[Objections to Einstein's theories of relativity|theories of relativity]].
==World-view development==
In 1884 Whitehead was elected to become member of the ''“Cambridge Conversazione Society”'', known also as ''“Apostles”''. The society organized meetings where discussions were taken i.a. on various philosophical and world-view questions. According to one meeting record from 1885, when the main topic was [[Herbert_Spencer#Evolution|Spencer’s version of evolutionary theory]] and [[The Second law of Thermodynamics]], he considered at that time the concept of homogenous [[Universe|universe]] to be wrong. In other meeting held the same year he, as the only one from nine present “Apostles”, declared the faith in God and two years later he positively answered the question whether the God is the sufficient explanation of the Universe. In 1892 he significantly helped [[Bertrand Russell]], later known as [[Militant atheism|militant atheist]], to become the member of the same society.
Coincidentally after his wedding with devout catholic Evelyn W. Wade, Whitehead entered a period of his life when he was collecting many theological and historical writings. Nevertheless, in the second half of the 90-ties he cleared the shelves of his library an openly declared himself a non-believer. This agnostic period, marked with zeal for serving the progress of society with secular characteristics, lasted for 20 years and Whitehead later stated that his mistaken perception of progress in science was the main reason for his abandoning the faith in God. The bizarre was that he felt that the new theories and situation in field of physics disqualify the absolute validity of Newtonian principles which he regarded as fundamentally supporting his theistic views. Thus, after departing the faith in God, he started to support Liberal Party and occasionally also the [[Labor Party]]. The next turning point into his way of thinking was however taking place when the [[World War I]] broke up and lists of dead included also his university colleagues, pupils, and last but not least, his own youngest 19-year son Eric, who, serving the British air forces, was shot down on the 13 March 1918 from French sky. V. Lowe, based on later discussions with Whitehead’s other two war-surviving children, maintains that this tragedy in family had the significant impact on Whitehead’s return on path of faith in God.<ref name="Andrle"/>
==Publications==
*''An Introduction to Mathematics''
*''Science and the Modern World''
*''The Concept of Nature''
*''The Principle of Relativity''
==See Also==
*[[Objections to Einstein's theories of relativity]]
==References==
<references/>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Alfred North}}
[[Category:Physicists]]
[[Category:Science]]
Among his pupils was also [[Herbert Dingle]], a philosopher and historian of science<ref name="Andrle">{{cite book
|author=Michal Andrle
|title=Whitheadova Filosofie Přírody
|publisher=Charles University
|location=Prague
|isbn=978-80-87378-22-9
|pages=
|language=Czech, English summary}}</ref>: known for his criticism, published in [[Nature (journal)|Nature magazine]], of [[Einstein]]’s [[Objections to Einstein's theories of relativity|theories of relativity]].
==World-view development==
In 1884 Whitehead was elected to become member of the ''“Cambridge Conversazione Society”'', known also as ''“Apostles”''. The society organized meetings where discussions were taken i.a. on various philosophical and world-view questions. According to one meeting record from 1885, when the main topic was [[Herbert_Spencer#Evolution|Spencer’s version of evolutionary theory]] and [[The Second law of Thermodynamics]], he considered at that time the concept of homogenous [[Universe|universe]] to be wrong. In other meeting held the same year he, as the only one from nine present “Apostles”, declared the faith in God and two years later he positively answered the question whether the God is the sufficient explanation of the Universe. In 1892 he significantly helped [[Bertrand Russell]], later known as [[Militant atheism|militant atheist]], to become the member of the same society.
Coincidentally after his wedding with devout catholic Evelyn W. Wade, Whitehead entered a period of his life when he was collecting many theological and historical writings. Nevertheless, in the second half of the 90-ties he cleared the shelves of his library an openly declared himself a non-believer. This agnostic period, marked with zeal for serving the progress of society with secular characteristics, lasted for 20 years and Whitehead later stated that his mistaken perception of progress in science was the main reason for his abandoning the faith in God. The bizarre was that he felt that the new theories and situation in field of physics disqualify the absolute validity of Newtonian principles which he regarded as fundamentally supporting his theistic views. Thus, after departing the faith in God, he started to support Liberal Party and occasionally also the [[Labor Party]]. The next turning point into his way of thinking was however taking place when the [[World War I]] broke up and lists of dead included also his university colleagues, pupils, and last but not least, his own youngest 19-year son Eric, who, serving the British air forces, was shot down on the 13 March 1918 from French sky. V. Lowe, based on later discussions with Whitehead’s other two war-surviving children, maintains that this tragedy in family had the significant impact on Whitehead’s return on path of faith in God.<ref name="Andrle"/>
==Publications==
*''An Introduction to Mathematics''
*''Science and the Modern World''
*''The Concept of Nature''
*''The Principle of Relativity''
==See Also==
*[[Objections to Einstein's theories of relativity]]
==References==
<references/>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Alfred North}}
[[Category:Physicists]]
[[Category:Science]]