Louisville Process Theology Network

The Skin of a Living Thought

As we’ve read before, Process Theology examines the relational nature of reality. Change happens every time we make a decision or experience an event. Things once thought to be absolute in nature are changed gradually by endless experiences.  

This relational nature of reality is even recognized in our income tax laws. Consider this quotation from the famous tax case, “Towne v. Eisner” in 1918. Here, the court decided that it is legal for the Internal Revenue Service to examine both, the form and substance, of financial transactions.

“A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged. It is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used.”