1. In chapter one--"The Social Conception of the Universe" of his book Reality as Social Process(Boston: Beacon Press, 1953) Charles Hartshorne is concerned to answer the questions, What is the social conception of the universe?
2. Hartshorne's answer is that social conception is a merging, blending of apparently contrary doctrines--such as matter and mind, law and freedom--in a "higher synthesis"1).
3. Hartshorne's method of teaching us the meaning of the social conception of the universe is to distinguish between scientific seeking(=restricted by conceivable cases) and philosophical seeking(=unrestricted by any conceivable cases)(pp.29-30), to explain how the social conception of the universe is a balanced between two extremes, materialism and idealism, determinism and liberalism,(32-33) to explicate how all creatures including God are social beings by the concept of feeling, democracy(34-40), and finally to correct the misunderstood conceptions, such as God's power, evil, death and immortality(41-42).
4. Hartshorne maintains that the significance of understanding the social conception of the universe is, and of being able to distinguish between scientific truths and philosophical truths, is that we can avoid all philosophical extremes by establishing the general, social conception of the universe valid to all cases.
5. My own opinion is that according to C. Hartshorne, God can be increased by creatures. His perfection includes additions by contingent beings. If so, not only is it coincident to the Old Testament, but we can also confirm God as a living society. Our prayer, worship can be meaningful as well.
1) p.31