“In Adventures of Ideas, which I found to be the most accessible read of Whitehead’s works, he discusses in more detail his thoughts of eros and its relationship to God. Eros is the power in the universe urging toward the realization of ideals, and as such it plays a major role in his later work. Whitehead defines eros as “the living urge towards all possibilities, claiming the goodness of their realization.” And God as “Eros urging towards perfection” Whitehead points to Eros as leading to God, the creativity behind every creation. This interconnectedness of the divine and wholeness as desire and yearning for each other as the same entity. By following eros, we’re on the path to God.

In process philosophy the yearning for fulfillment and concrescence is the only constant, even aims change depending on the grade of an occasion and each occasion having its own aim. If this is true, the Eros that puts us in touch with our longing becomes the thing to actually achieve, over and over again – perpetuating the desire for more creation and life. God changes constantly and connecting with unchanging power of eros keeps us moving towards divinity.

He calls his system a “philosophy of organism.” The eros ooze from the pages of his books, and might suggest a more appropriate title be a “philosophy of orgasm.” His theories of experience offer a new way of connecting with the erotic. This missing piece of a complete cosmology that integrates the sacred with science and quantum mechanics accessed through eros as the divine desire. Whitehead described God as “the lure for feeling, the eternal urge of desire,” which sounds like a deeper expression of Eros.”

The above passage comes from a paper (pdf) written by Rebecca Farrar, MA, titled “(White)Head Over Heels: The Erotic Side of Process Philosophy” (❤️ I heart that title so much!! ❤️). I stumbled upon her essay by chance and had a fantastic time reading it. Her blog is pretty phenomenal too!

One more excerpt from her conclusion:

“We crave the static in an ever-changing universe, where nothing remains the same. Something does stay – eros as the desire for fulfillment. When we look for it, eros is always there ready and waiting – interwoven with every experience waiting for discovery and acknowledgment.”

Great stuff!

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Painting above: Eros Tic by Michael Desform

Tags:Erosprocess philosophyrebecca farrarsexsexualityspiritualitywhitehead