Platonism, mereology and Whitehead's process ontology Schulz, Dwayne 10.4225/03/58b8a54182c3a https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/thesis/Platonism_mereology_and_Whitehead_s_process_ontology/4719385 This thesis critically examines the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead focusing on the relationships between his platonism and his mereology. Particular attention is given to Whitehead’s notion of the ‘extensive continuum’; an ideal mereotopological structure said to ground the geometrical nature and measurability of physical events. The thesis argues that Whitehead’s platonism is inconsistent with his process philosophy and results in confused and mistaken ideas about inter alia the nature of spacetime and general relativity. The thesis makes the case however that Whitehead’s thought does contain the seeds of a one-category ontology of relational events producing and binding themselves into processes, whose similarity and contingency is grounded in their own genetic nature rather than some super-sensible realm of forms beyond sense experience. 2017-03-02 23:05:35 Whitehead 1959.1/1241522 ethesis-20160222-194252 2016 Mereotopology Process Vectors Mereology Tropes Platonism thesis(masters) monash:166004 Prehension Relational Tropes Ontology Events Open access