The Category of Freedom in the Thought of Charles Hartshorne

The thesis of this text is that the category of freedom is an ultimate metaphysical category in the thought of Charles Hartshorne. It is metaphysical because freedom is constitutive of the existence of every actual entity. It is ultimate because it is the foundation upon which Hartshorne's philosophy is developed. Interpreters of Hartshorne would acknowledge freedom as a category in his thought, but not necessarily the main or ultimate category in his thought. Yet, Hartshorne states that freedom is the first principle of metaphysics, and that freedom is an absolute principle in his philosophy. I therefore argue that it is freedom that is the ultimate category in Charles Hartshorne's thought. This thesis will show this by an internal analysis of Hartshorne's own writings and examining the major themes of this philosophy to show how the category of freedom is an ultimate metaphysical category in Hartshorne's thought.