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    The document discusses three ways that stabilization is achieved in nature: the Way of Blindness, the Way of Rhythm, and the Way of Transience. The Way of Blindness involves relapse that eliminates novel experiences, stabilizing at a lower level. The Way of Transience substitutes short-lived individuals to avoid fatigue in the individual. The Way of Rhythm establishes repeating cycles of contrasting experiences that eliminate fatigue from repetition within the cycle.

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    The document discusses three ways that stabilization is achieved in nature: the Way of Blindness, the Way of Rhythm, and the Way of Transience. The Way of Blindness involves relapse that eliminates novel experiences, stabilizing at a lower level. The Way of Transience substitutes short-lived individuals to avoid fatigue in the individual. The Way of Rhythm establishes repeating cycles of contrasting experiences that eliminate fatigue from repetition within the cycle.

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    15 views4 pages

    The Three Ways of Life - Whitehead

    Uploaded by

    m:m
    The document discusses three ways that stabilization is achieved in nature: the Way of Blindness, the Way of Rhythm, and the Way of Transience. The Way of Blindness involves relapse that eliminates novel experiences, stabilizing at a lower level. The Way of Transience substitutes short-lived individuals to avoid fatigue in the individual. The Way of Rhythm establishes repeating cycles of contrasting experiences that eliminate fatigue from repetition within the cycle.

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    of 4

    Lifetediumisfatiguederived

    fromathwartedurgetoward
    novelcontrast.Innaturewe
    findthreewaysinwhich
    stabilizationissecured.They

    maybenamed:theWayof
    Blindness,the Wayof
    Rhythm,

    the WayofTransience.These
    waysarenotmutually
    exclusive.InfacttheWayof
    Rhythm
    seemsallpervasivethroughout
    life. ButtheWayofBlindness
    seemstorenderTransience
    unneces

    sary,andthe Wayof
    Transiencediminishesthe
    Blindness.Allthreewaysseem
    tobepresentinastabilizedold

    ageofmeresurvival,but
    BlindnessandTransienceseem
    tovaryinverselytoeachother.

    TheWayofBlindnessmeans
    relapse.Thisrelapseeliminates
    thoseflashesofnovelappetition
    whichhaveconstitutedthe
    meansofascenttotheexist
    ingstageofcomplexlife.These
    flashesareinfactpartofthe

    stageitself.Theyaretheelement
    ofvividnoveltyofenjoyment.

    Buttheladderofascentisnow
    discarded.Thenoveltiesand
    theirreasonedemphasisare
    excluded.Thecomplexity
    attainedislivedthroughona
    lowerlevelofoperationsthan
    thosewhichwenttoits
    attainment.Theupwardtrend
    islost. Thereisstabilizationin
    somelower

    level,orprogressiverelapse.
    Theorganofvividness,which
    isalsothe
    organofnoveltyand
    theor

    ganoffatigue,hasbeen
    atrophied.

    TheWayofTransiencemeans
    thesubstitution

    ofshortlivedindividualsbyway
    ofprotectingthespeciesfrom
    thefatigueoftheindividual.
    Tran
    sienceisreallyawayofblindness :

    it
    procuresnovelindividualsto
    faceblindlytheoldroundof
    experience.

    TheWayofRhythmpervades
    alllife,andindeedallphysical
    existence.Thiscommonprinciple
    ofRhythmisoneofthereasons
    forbelievingthatthe

    rootprinciplesoflifeare,in
    somelowlyform,exemplified
    inalltypesofphysical
    existence.Inthe

    WayofRhythmaroundof
    experiences,forminga
    determinatesequenceofcontrasts

    attainablewithin

    adefinitemethod,arecodified
    sothattheendofonesuchcycle
    isthe
    properantecedentstage
    forthebeginningofanother
    suchcycle.Thecycleissuchthat
    owncompletionprovidesthe
    its

    conditionsforitsownmere
    repetition.Iteliminatesthe
    fatigueattendantuponthe
    repetitionofanyoneofits

    parts.Onlysomestrengthof
    physicalmemorycan

    aggregatefatiguearisingfrom
    thecycleasawhole.Provided
    thateachcycleinitselfisself
    repairing,

    thefatiguefromrepetition
    requiresahighlevelof
    coordinationofstretchesofpast
    experience.WhiteheadTheFunction
    ofReasonp.1517

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