Kraus explains this as part of
the relational essence of an eternal object which includes «the indefinite plurality of relations which constitute the status of the eternal object in the realm of possibility» (ME 34).
Although Schmidt derives his view from the SMW chapter «Abstraction,» he evidently finds the basis for his observation in statements Whitehead made about
the relational essence of eternal objects, and this buttresses my own conclusions.
I point out, however, that even Christian does not fully explicate Whitehead's doctrine of
the relational essence of eternal objects as is attempted in this paper, for he chooses to focus on the internal relatedness involved in objectification rather than the internal relatedness that also obtains between eternal objects themselves.
Thus the individual essence of turquoise blue is quite aloof from
the relational essence of turquoise blue and can characterize the specific definiteness of a particular actual entity without involving necessarily the specific individual essence of any particular geometrical shape, though through its relational essence it does specify the range, and the «how» relationship, of all possible geometrical figures, x1, x2,... x11, which have the requisite status to possibly merge with that individual essence turquoise blue in constituting the complex synthesis of forms which is the peculiar, concrete definiteness of an individual actual entity.
This definite «how» relationship is a component of
the relational essence of each shade and each figure, and binds all the shades and all the figures together internally.
The relational essence of turquoise blue vis - a-vis any four - sided plane figure is not unique to turquoise blue, but is the same as that of pea green and jet black.
The relational essence of an eternal object specifies a particular how relationship.
Each relation belongs to
the relational essence of green and together are constitutive of the eternal object green (SMW 230).
He does not argue, but merely asserts that
the relational essence of an eternal object A refers to «a set of extensive relations which give it [A] a status in this abstract system» and «to logico - mathematical relationships» akin to eternal objects of the objective species in Process and Reality (PW 77/79).
The «
relational essence of an eternal object, Whitehead tells us,
Not exact matches
Basically, God is a
relational being within himself and that «community» is illustrated in the family and in the
essence of every human.
That way
of living — shaped by memory, bounded by tradition, directed to the future, formed to meet obligations both sacred and profane, and ultimately answerable to permanent truths — can not be embodied in the practice
of lone individuals, because at its
essence it is about
relational commitments.
The Whiteheadian actuality, the occasion, represents a complete and thoroughgoing rejection
of the substance - attribute conception, and is entirely
relational in its
essence.
Cf. further Whitehead's note that the
essence of a thing is to be prehensive, receptive, and
relational (PR 41).
These different modes
of ingression are a function
of the eternal object's
relational essence, that is,
of its patience for being jointly ingressed with other eternal objects having the requisite
relational essence (SMW 229f).
I shall not present a full discussion
of Whitehead's notions
of individual
essences and
relational essences, as such discussions are already available (PCW 91 - 98).
A
relational essence admits
of many other relations than just extensive relations and represents a variety
of possibilities for realization (SMW 231).
In this way there is individual, unique determination
of actual entities while there is also the tight welding
of relational essences into a realm
of pure potentialities.
The «rubbing» (tribe in) in dialectic
of the occasion against its associated form continues to yield partial relations describing the occasion more fully in its
relational essence.
In the realm
of eternal objects — a realm in which the relationships between objects are simultaneously unselective and systematically complete — we discover the musical tone «B.» Considered purely with respect to its
relational essence, «B» entertains the possibility
of many relations: it may be a tonic, a dominant, a subdominant, a neopolitan, a relative minor; it may form the base
of a fully diminished vii chord, or the seventh tone
of a V / V chord, the third tone in a twelve - tone row, the fourth interval in a five - tone cell, and so on.
But the soul, or rather each occasion
of its life, like every other actual occasion
of experience, is
relational or social in its
essence.
It is never the same dance, but it is a repetition
of the pattern in a non-unique
relational essence.
Moreover, sensa are declared to have some form
of realization that differs from that
of patterns: «But the realization
of a sensum in its ideal shallowness
of intensity, with zero width, does not require any other eternal object, other than its intrinsic apparatus
of individual and
relational essence; it can remain just itself, with its unrealized potentialities for patterned contrasts» (PR 115 / 176).
That aspect
of the eternal object which is its for - the - world perspective is also indicated by the characteristics
of non-unique
relational essence (3), element
of associative hierarchy (5), pattern (7), and repeatability (9).
If X5S1 is to display itself in its for - otherness aspect, the process
of gaining actuality will bring into play the second set
of characteristics: non-unique
relational essence (3), element
of associated hierarchy (5), rendering
of possibility
of decision (6), ingression (8), and repeatability (9).
Therefore, sensa and patterns do not differ in the respect that they must be essentially related to other eternal objects in physical ingression, and this aspect
of their
relational essences guarantees that no eternal object can physically ingress individually.
The fact that only certain sets
of these relations between calls will form a dance which continues without interruption accounts for the non-unique
relational essence.
But no individual
essence is realizable apart from some
of its potentialitie5
of relationship, that is, apart from its
relational essence.
It should be observed, however, that «no individual
essence is realizable apart from some
of its potentialities
of relationship, that is, apart from its
relational essence» (PR 115 / 176).
This is to say that the physical ingression
of all eternal objects involves their
relational essences.
Upon reflection it may be seen that this «law
of multiple ingression» traces its roots directly from Whitehead's attribution
of relational essences to all eternal objects and is implicit in PR 114 - 15 / 174 - 76).4
Since eternal objects are thus conceived to be necessarily related to one another in physical ingression by way
of their
relational essences, the monadic ingression
of an eternal object is rendered systematically impossible.
This is what Whitehead speaks
of as its «
relational essence» — see his chapter on «Abstraction» in Science and the Modern World.
For Whitehead, God first functioned as «the principle
of limitation,»... In Process and Reality, the eternal objects are organized together and given their respective «
relational essences» by the primordial or non-temporal activity
of God.
The
essence of attachment parenting is loving care that features a reciprocal,
relational approach that goes deeper than this simple formula: «The three basic tenets are breast - feeding (sometimes into toddlerhood), co-sleeping (inviting babies into the parental bed or pulling a bassinet alongside it) and «baby wearing,» in which infants are literally attached to their mothers via slings.»
This is the
essence of human
relational connection.