PHILOSOPHICAL AND PRACTICAL RELEVANCE OF EVENT ONTOLOGY

By

Samuel N. Chinedu

Department of Philosophy

Imo State University, Nigeria

Abstract

Whitehead’s event ontology has become one of the most outstanding frameworks for the understanding of the basic structure of reality. It bridges the metaphysical reality with practical fields such as technology, science and everyday life and lays emphasis on change, process, relations and creativity as the primary building blocks of existence in contradistinction with the traditional substance ontology that focuses on static objects that are fixed and constant.  This classical position on substance is construed as inadequate to explain reality especially as revealed by the quantum realm. It is the contention of Whitehead that events rather than substance capture reality better.  Recent developments in the fields of science and technology such as in biology and artificial intelligence have demonstrated Whitehead’s position given the myriad discoveries and developments that demonstrate the dynamism and relational characterizations of events as Whitehead adumbrated. This paper explores the practical and philosophical relevance of event ontology by drawing from Whitehead’s point of view.  Its significance for addressing a wide range of modern issues is highlighted while demonstrating the interdisciplinary applicability and nature of event ontology. Event ontology has helped to grapple with and redefine philosophical issues like temporality, identity, change and causality. Using the analytic and hermeneutic methods to gain deeper insights into Whitehead, the paper concludes by making a case for the adoption of event-inspired standpoint by all and as a conceptual tool from and with which the rapid changes, developments and preponderant interconnectedness of everything can be better appreciated which would further foster a more inclusive and holistic construal of reality.