Isabelle Stengers, a Belgian philosopher of science, used Alfred North Whitehead’s philosophy to critique and rethink modern science and its relationship with society. Drawing from Whitehead’s process philosophy, Stengers developed a critical perspective on science that challenges its presumed objectivity and separation from human values, ethics, and cultural contexts. Here’s how she applied Whitehead’s ideas:
1. Critique of Scientific Objectivity: Stengers uses Whitehead’s rejection of the “bifurcation of nature” (the split between objective reality and subjective experience) to critique the objectivity often claimed by modern science. For Whitehead, this bifurcation is a false divide; he saw all experiences as interconnected processes rather than separate domains of subject and object. Stengers builds on this to argue that science is not a neutral or purely objective activity but is embedded in a web of cultural, ethical, and political influences .
2. “Cosmopolitics”: Stengers coined the term cosmopolitics to propose a new way of engaging with scientific knowledge in a pluralistic, democratic context. Influenced by Whitehead’s relational ontology, she argues that all perspectives—human and nonhuman—should be considered in decisions about scientific and technological development. This idea seeks to democratize science by including diverse viewpoints and resisting the hegemony of purely scientific or technocratic perspectives.
3. Reclaiming Wonder and Experimentation: Stengers emphasizes Whitehead’s notion of adventure and wonder in scientific inquiry, advocating for a science that retains a sense of curiosity and openness to the unknown. This contrasts with the instrumental approach to science that views knowledge purely in terms of utility. In her book Thinking with Whitehead, she explores how Whitehead’s philosophy invites scientists to approach their work as a co-creative process that honors the unpredictable and mysterious qualities of the world .
4. Process and Change: Like Whitehead, Stengers sees reality as a process rather than a set of fixed entities. She argues that science should be understood as a dynamic, evolving practice that coexists with other forms of knowledge. This perspective encourages flexibility and adaptability within scientific inquiry, recognizing that scientific practices themselves are subject to change and development as they interact with social and environmental factors
| Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology.
Stengers uses Whitehead’s ideas to argue for a more inclusive, humble, and ethically aware scientific practice, where science is not isolated from other modes of human experience and knowledge but is one participant in a broader cosmopolitical conversation. Through Whitehead, she advocates for a science that respects the agency of all entities—human and nonhuman—and reclaims the imaginative, speculative, and adventurous aspects of scientific exploration.
