Surprise, Event and the Problem of Novelty: A Comparison Between C.S. Peirce and A.N. Whitehead

This paper compares the concept of event in C.S. Peirce's and A.N. Whitehead's philosophical perspectives. While several critical studies have compared these two authors from a cosmological-metaphysical standpoint, this article considers especially the phenomenological-experiential perspective. To provide a better comprehension of the issues involved in the concept of event, I related it to the likelihood of the happening of novelty. In particular, I focuse on Peirce's category the Second and considers his description of experience as a series of surprises and shocks, and analyze the concept of event in Whitehead, with special reference to The Concept of Nature. To conclude, I try to point out in which way these analyses could help us in the accurate understanding of their cosmologies.