The Whitehead Encyclopedia was founded in 2023 by Brian G. Henning and Joseph Petek to provide open access to scholarly articles on Whiteheadian process thought. It aims to explicate the ways in which Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) has influenced contemporary work in philosophy, theology, and the natural and social sciences, as well as explore his relationship to other thinkers—both those who influenced him and those who were influenced by him.
The content of the site is largely based on the Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought (2008, De Gruyter), edited by Michel Weber and Will Desmond. This two-volume, 1,400-page endeavor was filled with valuable scholarship, but its $700 price tag put it beyond the reach of many prospective readers. The entries that appeared in the Handbook have been transferred to the Whitehead Encyclopedia largely unchanged.
We have, however, undertaken one important change. The original Handbook combined the bibliographies for all articles in each thematic section into a single list; e.g., the nine articles on Metaphysics shared a single bibliography, rather than each one having its own. For readers’ convenience, we have separated out the references for the individual articles, and they now appear at the bottom of each entry. Yet we have also retained combined sectional bibliographies for those looking for further reading in these topic areas.
Readers should be aware that the editions of Whitehead’s books that are referred to in the Whitehead Encyclopedia‘s articles have not been standardized, and so should not assume that the referenced page numbers in a given article always correspond to the most widely used editions. E.g., the article “Extension in PR Part IV” refers to the 1960 Harper Torchbooks edition of PR rather than the 1978 Corrected Edition.
As an online resource, the Whitehead Encyclopedia aims to continually update and expand its content. It contains new articles that did not appear in the original Handbook. New articles and major revisions will be listed on the “New / Updated articles” page as they appear.
Editorial policies
Editorial decisions
Editorial decisions concerning the Whitehead Encyclopedia are made by its co-editors, Brian G. Henning and Joseph Petek, in consultation with the Whitehead Research Project (WRP) Editorial Advisory Board (EAB).
Contributions
Contributions to the Whitehead Encyclopedia are normally solicited by invitation from the co-editors. However, qualified potential contributors may contact the editors concerning the possibility of writing an article, either on one of the topics listed on the desired articles page, or on another figure or topic that fruitfully intersects with Whitehead or his philosophy.
Qualifications of contributors
Prospective contributors are generally expected to hold a PhD or terminal degree and have published refereed, scholarly work on the entry on which they wish to write—e.g., articles in peer-reviewed journals or books published by respected publishing houses which have undergone a peer review process prior to publication. However, if either of the co-editors or a member of the EAB is familiar with the work of the potential contributor, then that contributor may be certified as qualified.
Peer review of submissions
All entries, whether solicited or approved, will be blind reviewed/refereed by one or more members of the EAB or by one or more external referees who have been approved by either the co-editors or a member of the EAB. As a result of this review, some submitted entries may not be accepted for publication.
Comments and corrections
Readers of the Whitehead Encyclopedia are encouraged to contact authors directly with comments, corrections, and other suggestions for improvements. If the author of an entry cannot be reached, readers may contact the editors.
Maintenance of entries
Authors should make a good-faith effort to (1) maintain their entries and keep them current with regard to important new research on the topic of the entry, and (2) make changes in response to any valid criticism they receive, whether from the co-editors, EAB, or interested readers. In connection with (1), authors should update the bibliographies of their entries to keep pace with significant new publications, both in print and on the web. In connection with (2), the validity of criticism will be determined by the co-editors in consultation with relevant members of the editorial board.
Fees and payments
The Whitehead Encyclopedia is open-access and does not charge authors a publication fee, and neither does it pay authors for their entries.
Copyright, licensing, and republication
The author grants an exclusive and perpetual license to the Whitehead Encyclopedia to use and distribute the article through internet media. Authors retain copyright to their article and the right to publish the article in a format that does not compete with the Whitehead Encyclopedia in nature and scope (Whitehead Encyclopedia articles cannot be posted elsewhere on the internet where there is public access; those websites should link to our articles instead). If an author wishes to re-publish in a print publications, the author must inform the Whitehead Encyclopedia co-editors of any secondary publishing opportunity, inform the secondary publisher about the author’s prior agreement with the Whitehead Encyclopedia, and include an acknowledgment in new print publication that the passages in question are revised versions of articles in the Whitehead Encyclopedia and appear in the new print publication by permission of the Whitehead Encyclopedia.