Philosophy of Organism

Philosophy of Organism is Alfred North Whitehead's 'ism'. Also called Organic Realism.

Central to this school is the idea of concrescence. Concrescence means that "we" (con prefix) cre- (create) scence (sense, or the "scene," that which is seen), the present is given by a consense of subjective forms. We are multiple individuals, but there are also multiple individual agents of consciousness operant in the construction of the given. This called by Marvin Minsky the 'society of mind.'

Whitehead's "subjective forms" compliment "eternal objects" in his metaphysical system. Eternal objects are Plato's archetypal forms. In Process and Reality, Whitehead proposes that his 'organic realism' be used in place of classical materialism.