Process and Reality

The ease with which we observe something depends on two things: the object must be important when it is present, and it must sometimes be absent.

The first principles of metaphysics, however, are never absent; they are always being demonstrated. We can never catch the actual world "taking a vacation" from their rule. Because of this, the method of discovering metaphysics by simply pinning down thought to the strict, detailed categories established by previous observation fails. This failure of "rigid empiricism" rigid empiricismThe philosophical belief that all knowledge must come strictly and exclusively from direct sensory experience, without any theoretical or imaginative leaps. is not limited to metaphysics. It happens whenever we try to find broader, more general truths.

In natural science, this rigid approach is known as the "Baconian method of induction" Baconian methodNamed after Francis Bacon (1561–1626), this method argues that scientists should gather vast amounts of data before forming theories. Whitehead argues this stifles progress.. If this method were followed perfectly, it would have left science exactly where it started. What Bacon missed was the role of free imagination—an imagination that is still guided by the requirements of logic and consistency.

The true method of discovery is like the flight of an airplane. It starts on the ground with a specific, particular observation. It then takes flight into the "thin air" of imaginative generalization. Finally, it lands again to conduct new observations, which are now sharpened by this rational interpretation.

The reason this method of "imaginative rationalization" succeeds is that even when a factor is constantly present (and therefore hard to notice), we can still observe it through the power of imaginative thought. Such thinking provides the contrasts that direct observation lacks. It can even experiment with inconsistencies; by imagining what is not there, it can shed light on the consistent and permanent elements of our experience.

The "negative judgment" negative judgmentThe mental ability to recognize what a thing is not, or to imagine alternatives to reality, which Whitehead considers a peak achievement of the mind. is the highest point of human mentality. However, we must strictly follow certain conditions for this imaginative work to be successful. First, this construction must begin by taking specific factors found in particular areas of human interest and turning them into general principles. These areas might include physics, physiology, psychology, aesthetics (the study of beauty), ethical beliefs, sociology, or even languages, which we can view as storehouses of human experience. In