David Ray Griffin

1. Introduction

David Ray Griffin (1939–2022) was an American philosopher of religion and process theologian best known for developing a comprehensive metaphysical framework inspired by Alfred North Whitehead and applying it to theology, science–religion dialogue, environmental ethics, and public issues. Working largely from Claremont, California, he became one of the central figures in process thought, arguing that reality is fundamentally composed of interrelated events of experience rather than static substances.

Griffin’s work is often framed by three interlocking ambitions: to offer a coherent response to the problem of evil through a redefinition of divine power; to articulate a form of constructive postmodernism that rejects both mechanistic materialism and anti-metaphysical relativism; and to “reenchant” the world without appealing to supernaturalism understood as violations of natural law. These aims led him to defend panexperientialism, a non-reductive naturalism in which all genuine individuals have some degree of experience or interiority, and to propose a dipolar and non-coercive understanding of God.

His writings have been influential in theology, philosophy of religion, and ecological thought, while also sparking significant controversy—especially his books critiquing official accounts of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Across sympathetic and critical interpretations, Griffin is widely regarded as a major contemporary system-builder who sought to keep large-scale metaphysical reflection central to philosophical and theological inquiry in an age often skeptical of such projects.

This entry surveys his life and context, traces his intellectual development, analyzes his principal works and core ideas, and examines both the reception and long-term significance of his contributions.

2. Life and Historical Context

Griffin was born on 8 August 1939 in Santa Monica, California, and spent most of his academic career in the Claremont institutions (Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University). His early formation in Protestant—often described as evangelical—circles, combined with higher education at Northwest Christian College and the University of Oregon, situated him within mid-20th‑century American debates over biblical authority, science, and secularization.

He completed his Ph.D. in philosophy of religion and theology at Claremont Graduate School in 1966, at a time when process philosophy, shaped by Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne, was becoming a significant alternative to both neo-orthodox theology and analytic philosophy’s skepticism toward metaphysics. The broader intellectual milieu included the rise of analytic philosophy of religion, liberation theologies, and the post-war expansion of American higher education.

Historically, Griffin’s career spanned several major shifts:

In 1977, Griffin co-founded the Center for Process Studies with John B. Cobb Jr., creating a hub for scholars exploring process perspectives on theology, philosophy, and social issues. This institutional base enabled international conferences and collaborative volumes that placed process thought in conversation with physics, ecology, and interreligious dialogue.

Griffin’s later life unfolded against intensifying concerns about climate change, globalization, and political transparency, which formed the backdrop for his writings on ecological civilization and his controversial engagement with 9/11. He died on 25 November 2022 in Claremont, with reports attributing the cause to cancer.

3. Intellectual Development

Griffin’s intellectual trajectory is often described in distinct but overlapping phases, each marked by shifting primary interlocutors while retaining a Whiteheadian core.

Early Formation and Turn to Process Thought

During his formative years, Griffin moved from a relatively conservative Protestant framework toward critical engagement with philosophy of religion. At Claremont he encountered Whitehead and Hartshorne, whose critiques of classical omnipotence and substance metaphysics resonated with his concerns about evil and scientific credibility. His dissertation work led directly into God, Power, and Evil (1973), which positioned him as a systematic process theologian.

Systematic Process Theologian

From the late 1960s through the mid‑1980s, Griffin concentrated on applying process metaphysics to central theological topics. In collaboration with John B. Cobb Jr. and others, he helped codify “process theology” as a recognizable movement, working through issues such as divine attributes, providence, and eschatology. This period is characterized by technical metaphysical argumentation and close exegesis of Whitehead.

Constructive Postmodernism and Science–Religion Dialogue

From the mid‑1980s to late 1990s, Griffin expanded his focus beyond theology to modern Western thought as a whole. Engaging with deconstructive and continental postmodernism, he proposed constructive postmodernism as a realist, metaphysical alternative. Concurrently, he wrote on quantum theory, evolution, and parapsychology, arguing that process metaphysics could better integrate empirical findings and religious experience than either classical theism or mechanistic naturalism.

Reenchantment and Public Engagement

Around the turn of the century, Griffin’s work on reenchantment without supernaturalism and scientific naturalism sought to show how a fully natural world might still be experienced as sacred. After 2001, he increasingly addressed public issues, most controversially in his books on 9/11, while also applying process thought to ecological crisis and global ethics.

Late Consolidation

In his final decade, Griffin emphasized the role of process thought in fostering an ecological civilization and a pluralistic global ethos, synthesizing themes from his earlier work and editing collections that presented Whiteheadian metaphysics as a comprehensive worldview for contemporary challenges.

4. Major Works

Griffin’s corpus is extensive; several books are widely regarded as landmarks in distinct areas of his thought.

Key Theological and Philosophical Works

Public and Controversial Works

Among his most widely noticed books are those on the September 11 attacks, beginning with The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the Bush Administration and 9/11 (2004). Proponents of his approach view these works as applications of critical rationality and evidential analysis to state narratives; critics regard them as promoting conspiracy theories and disputable interpretations of technical evidence.

Across these writings, Griffin’s style combines systematic metaphysical construction with extensive engagement with scientific, historical, and theological literature, reflecting his ambition to formulate an integrated worldview.

5. Core Ideas and Metaphysical Framework

Griffin’s metaphysical framework is explicitly Whiteheadian, yet developed in his own terms. At its center is the claim that the basic constituents of reality are actual occasions—momentary events of experience—rather than enduring substances or purely material particles. This leads to his characteristic panexperientialism.

Panexperientialist Event-Ontology

According to Griffin, all genuine individuals, from elementary particles to complex organisms, possess an “inside” of experience, however minimal, and an “outside” of physical relations. He interprets this as an empirically responsible way to avoid both dualism (which splits mind and matter) and reductive physicalism (which denies irreducible experience).

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“To say that actual entities are experiential is to affirm that the basic units of reality have an inside as well as an outside, intrinsic as well as extrinsic properties.”
— Paraphrasing Griffin, Reenchantment without Supernaturalism

God and the World: Dipolar, Relational Theism

Within this ontology, God is conceived as the supreme actual entity, characterized by a dipolar nature: an abstract, unchanging pole (God’s character and aims) and a concrete, changing pole (God’s reception of the world’s experiences). God is not an external, coercive ruler but an immanent participant in the cosmic process.

God’s power is understood as persuasive rather than coercive: God provides “initial aims” or lures toward richer experience to each actual occasion but does not unilaterally determine outcomes. This structure undergirds Griffin’s theodicy and his account of religious experience.

Constructive Postmodernism and Reenchantment

Griffin labels his overall position constructive postmodernism: postmodern in rejecting modern mechanistic metaphysics and foundationalism, constructive in affirming realist metaphysics and robust rational inquiry. He argues that this framework allows for reenchantment without supernaturalism—a vision of a law‑governed, natural world that is nevertheless intrinsically value-laden, purposive, and open to divine influence without miracle understood as violation of natural law.

6. Theodicy, God, and the Problem of Evil

Griffin’s treatment of the problem of evil is one of his most discussed contributions. He contends that traditional theodicies fail because they retain a notion of divine omnipotence as coercive, unilateral power.

Redefining Divine Power

In God, Power, and Evil, Griffin argues that if God is both perfectly good and omnipotent in the classical sense, the existence of horrendous evils is inexplicable. He therefore rejects such omnipotence, proposing instead that metaphysical principles—especially the self-creativity and freedom of actual occasions—limit what even God can do.

On this view, God continually seeks to maximize value in the world but cannot guarantee outcomes, because every actual occasion has some degree of self-determination and because the world includes recalcitrant structures (e.g., physical laws, inherited patterns).

Responses and Critiques

Proponents of Griffin’s theodicy argue that it offers a more morally plausible account of God’s goodness and aligns better with a scientifically informed worldview. They see it as resolving what Griffin calls the “problem of genuine evil”—evils that cannot be justified as means to greater goods.

Critics raise several concerns:

• Some theistic philosophers contend that abandoning omnipotence significantly revises traditional conceptions of God, potentially rendering worship or ultimate trust problematic.
• Others argue that Griffin’s metaphysical constraints on God are speculative and that alternative theodicies (e.g., free will defenses, soul-making) can address evil without revising omnipotence.
• Secular critics sometimes regard the process theodicy as no more satisfactory than classical accounts, seeing it as an ad hoc adjustment of divine attributes.

Griffin maintains that his approach preserves divine goodness, respects creaturely freedom, and treats evil as genuinely tragic rather than instrumentally necessary.

7. Science, Naturalism, and Postmodern Thought

Griffin devotes substantial work to clarifying the relationship between science, naturalism, and religion, and to reinterpreting postmodernism in metaphysical terms.

Critique of Scientific Naturalism

In Religion and Scientific Naturalism, Griffin distinguishes between methodological naturalism (science’s bracketing of supernatural explanations) and ontological naturalism (the claim that only matter in motion exists). He argues that many conflicts between science and religion stem not from empirical findings but from the latter philosophical overlay.

He contends that features such as consciousness, purposiveness, and value resist reduction to mechanistic accounts, and that certain empirical data (including, in his view, parapsychological research) are better explained by a panexperientialist ontology.

Constructive Postmodernism

Griffin engages with deconstructive and anti-realist strands of postmodernism (e.g., Derrida, Foucault), which he judges to undermine rational discourse and stable notions of truth. In contrast, he proposes constructive postmodernism, which:

• Rejects mechanistic, substance-based metaphysics of modernity.
• Retains realist commitments to truth and rational argument.
• Embraces a processive, relational ontology compatible with contemporary science.

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“A truly postmodern world view will be not anti-metaphysical but differently metaphysical, rejecting the mechanistic doctrines of modernity while providing a more adequate, empirically responsible vision of reality.”
— Paraphrasing Griffin, Varieties of Postmodern Theology

Engagement with Specific Sciences

Griffin interprets quantum physics as more congenial to process metaphysics than to classical materialism, citing indeterminacy and relationality as supportive of event-ontology. He also discusses evolutionary theory, arguing that a process framework can incorporate both genuine novelty and divine purposiveness without invoking special creation or interventionist miracles.

Critics of his science-related work often question his use of parapsychological research and argue that mainstream scientific practice does not require, and sometimes conflicts with, the metaphysical conclusions he draws. Supporters see in his work a serious attempt to integrate scientific and religious perspectives within a single, coherent worldview.

8. Methodology and Use of Metaphysics

Griffin is unusual among late‑20th‑century philosophers for his explicit and systematic defense of metaphysics as a central, constructive enterprise.

Metaphysics as Rational, Empirical, and Revisable

He argues that metaphysical systems are attempts to articulate the most general features of reality in a way that:

• Is logically coherent and self-consistent.
• Takes into account the widest range of relevant empirical data (from science, moral experience, religion, aesthetics).
• Is open to revision in light of new evidence and argument.

Thus, he positions metaphysics as continuous with, rather than opposed to, the scientific enterprise. Griffin criticizes both positivist eliminations of metaphysics and postmodern claims that metaphysics is merely a tool of domination, proposing instead a fallibilist but realist approach.

Whiteheadian Method and “Hard-Core Common Sense”

Following Whitehead, Griffin emphasizes starting from what he calls “hard-core common sense”—beliefs that people cannot help but presuppose in practice (e.g., that we have experiences, that we make choices). He then assesses rival metaphysical systems by how well they preserve these data while achieving coherence.

Application Beyond Academic Philosophy

Griffin also applies this metaphysical method to public issues, arguing that questions of political responsibility, ecological policy, and social organization implicitly rely on ontological assumptions about value, agency, and interdependence. This methodological stance underlies his engagement with ecological civilization and his controversial analyses of 9/11, where he claims to use standards of evidence and coherence consistent with his broader philosophical practice.

Critics sometimes view his metaphysical ambitions as overly systematizing or speculative, while sympathizers regard his work as a rare contemporary example of a comprehensive, integrative philosophical project.

9. Ecological and Ethical Contributions

Griffin extends process metaphysics into environmental ethics, social philosophy, and the ideal of an ecological civilization.

Intrinsic Value and Interdependence

Drawing on panexperientialism, Griffin argues that all genuine individuals possess some degree of intrinsic value, not merely instrumental worth for human purposes. This underwrites a non-anthropocentric ethic in which ecosystems, non-human animals, and even simpler entities are morally considerable.

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“If we are to move toward an ecological civilization, we need a worldview that makes sense of the intrinsic value of all creatures and their profound interdependence.”
— Paraphrasing Griffin, essays on ecological civilization

The process vision of reality as a web of interdependent events supports ethical emphases on mutual care, sustainable practices, and respect for biodiversity.

Ecological Civilization

Collaborating with other process thinkers, Griffin promotes the concept of ecological civilization: a restructuring of political, economic, and cultural institutions around ecological sustainability and the intrinsic value of all life. He presents process metaphysics as providing the worldview-level grounding needed for such a civilization, in contrast to what he sees as the fragmentary or purely instrumental rationality of modern industrial society.

Broader Ethical Themes

Griffin also addresses:

• Global justice and peace, arguing that a process view of interdependence undermines justifications for domination and unilateral power.
• Religious pluralism, contending that multiple traditions can be seen as diverse responses to the same ultimate reality, encouraging dialogical rather than exclusivist ethics.
• Democratic participation, which he links to the process idea that value arises from the creative activity of many centers of experience.

Supporters see in Griffin’s ethics a coherent extension of his metaphysics with strong ecological and peace-oriented implications. Critics sometimes question whether his metaphysical commitments are necessary for ecological concern or whether they risk overburdening environmental discourse with speculative theology.

10. Public Engagement and Controversies

Beyond academic theology and philosophy, Griffin became a prominent and polarizing public figure through his writings on the September 11, 2001 attacks and related issues of political power and media.

9/11 Critiques

Beginning with The New Pearl Harbor (2004), Griffin authored multiple books arguing that the official U.S. government account of 9/11 is deeply problematic. He scrutinized aspects such as building collapses, air defense responses, and intelligence failures, claiming that available evidence supports the hypothesis of substantial government deception.

Proponents of his work, including segments of the “9/11 truth movement,” regard Griffin as applying rigorous, cross-disciplinary analysis to a controversial topic, upholding democratic ideals of transparency and accountability.

Critics, including many scientists, engineers, and philosophers, contend that:

• He misinterprets or selectively cites technical data (e.g., structural engineering, fire dynamics).
• He underestimates the reliability of multiple independent investigations.
• His arguments exemplify confirmation bias and conspiracy reasoning.

Professional bodies and mainstream media generally situate his 9/11 writings outside accepted scholarly consensus, while some process thinkers have been ambivalent or critical of this phase of his work.

Broader Public Theology

Apart from 9/11, Griffin engaged publicly on:

• U.S. foreign policy, especially wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Climate change and ecological policy, linking them to the need for an ecological civilization.
• Religion in public life, where he advocated for a critical, pluralistic, and peace-oriented public theology grounded in process thought.

These interventions reflect his conviction that philosophers and theologians bear ethical responsibilities to address pressing social issues. Assessments diverge: some praise his courage in challenging dominant narratives, while others worry that his controversial positions, especially on 9/11, have overshadowed and complicated the reception of his more strictly academic contributions.

11. Legacy and Historical Significance

Griffin’s legacy is complex, encompassing both substantial scholarly influence and enduring controversy.

Influence within Philosophy and Theology

In process philosophy and theology, he is widely credited with providing some of the most systematic and analytically rigorous developments of Whitehead’s thought. His reformulation of the problem of evil, defense of panexperientialism, and articulation of constructive postmodernism have shaped subsequent debates in philosophy of religion, particularly among those seeking alternatives to classical theism and reductive naturalism.

His role in founding and sustaining the Center for Process Studies has had institutional impact, nurturing a global network of scholars applying process ideas to ecology, social justice, interreligious dialogue, and science–religion relations. Many later process thinkers cite his work as a bridge between Whitehead’s notoriously difficult texts and contemporary philosophical concerns.

Broader Cultural and Ethical Impact

In environmental discourse, Griffin’s metaphysical grounding for ecological civilization has influenced theologians, ethicists, and some policy-oriented discussions, especially in East Asia and among faith-based environmental movements. His insistence that worldviews shape ecological and social practices has been taken up in various sustainability and eco-theology projects.

Contested Aspects of His Legacy

Griffin’s 9/11 writings remain a major point of contention in assessing his overall significance. Supporters see them as an extension of his long-standing commitment to critical rationality and ethical responsibility in public life. Many critics, however, argue that these works have undermined his credibility outside process circles and complicated efforts to present process thought as a rigorous academic option.

Despite disagreements, many commentators regard Griffin as one of the most ambitious system-building philosophers of religion of his era, whose work ensures that metaphysical questions about God, value, and nature remain central to contemporary intellectual life.