Process Philosophy and the Bahá'í Writings:
An Initial Exploration

by Ian Kluge

Abstract:

According to the Bahá'í Writings, all parts of creation are in a perpetual state of flux, actualizing their potentials, growing or decaying, advancing or retreating. History, both biological and human-cultural, is an evolutionary process that culminates in super-natural or spiritual developments in humankind. Given such foundations, this paper provides an introductory examination of the Bahá'í Writings in relationship to modern process philosophy as seen, for example, in the work of such thinkers as Whitehead, Hartshorne, Cobb and de Chardin, and examines some of the issues related to the formulation a unique Bahá'í version of process thought. Other issues to be examined include the nature and role of God and the Manifestation, emergent evolution, being and becoming, substance, essence, form, potential, causality and organicism.