Q0350
“The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it…” — Alfred North Whitehead (Process and Reality)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Process and Reality. Theme: time.
English
The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Process and Reality and files it under Process Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) was an English mathematician-philosopher who co-authored Principia Mathematica with Russell, then developed process metaphysics at Harvard. Science and the Modern World and Process and Reality rethink nature as events, not inert stuff.
How to read this passage
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time.
Concepts in this quote
- Time
- Philosophy of time asks what tense and duration are—and how memory, death, and history shape a human life.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Alfred North Whitehead. (n.d.). The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0350
MLA: Alfred North Whitehead. “The safest general characterization of the European philosophical….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0350.
Chicago: Alfred North Whitehead. “The safest general characterization of the European philosophical….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0350.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The safest general characterization of the European philosophical…”?
The passage is attributed to Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality. The archive attributes this English wording to Process and Reality and files it under Process Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Alfred North Whitehead mean by time?
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time.