1. In chapter Three--"The Divine Attributes as Types of Social Relationship" of his book Divine Relativity: A Social Conception of God(New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1978) Charles Hartshorne is concerned to answer the question, "What are the divine attributes?" or "Are the divine attributes types of social relationship?"
2. Hartshorne's answer is that the divine attributes are types of social relationship1).
3. Hartshorne's method of teaching us is showing us what is "failure of the historical doctrines"(pp. 117-20), what is "contemplative adequacy or omniscience"2)(pp. 120-4), what is "motivational adequacy or holiness"3)(pp. 124-34), what is "causal adequacy or divine power"4)(pp. 134-42), what is "divine personality"5)(pp. 142-7), what is "some practical applications"6)(pp. 147-55), and finally what is conclusion of this chapter(pp. 155-8).
4. Hartshorne maintains that the significance of understanding "the divine attributes as types of social relationship" is that we can define the Absolute existence "in positive relational terms...without ultimate paradox"(p. 156), that we can overcome the absurdities and inconsistencies of the classical theism and can conceive "the supreme reality as the living God, the supreme subject of social relations, yet with and absolute character"(p. 157), that we can have a sound attitude toward life, namely, a healthy ethics, without falling into some biased doctrines, such as "asceticism", "moralism", "optimism", "obscurantism"(p. 149), and thereby that we can overcome nonsensical "segregation"(p. 153), blind "pacifism"(pp. 154-5), and idolatrous worship of some non-ultimate power which is not all-inclusive at all(pp. 153-4).
5. My own opinion is this. According to Hartshorne, God can be properly conceived only under the social conception. God's knowledge should be considered under the social structure of subjectivity. His power should be reflected under persuasion. Then we can insist God as constitutive of, and constituted by, us.
If we can secure the social conception of the universe, especially of God, we can avoid absurd follies of attitudes toward life, and establish a sound ethics which can overcome individualism, nonsensical segregation, idolatrous worship of non-ultimate power, and believing blind pacifism.
1) In strictly saying, "the divine attributes are abstract types of social relationship, of which the divine acts are concrete instances or relations"(p. 156).
2) What can be inferred from this title, "Contemplative Adequacy or Omniscience", is that Hartshorne interprets the traditional conception of omniscience as contemplative adequacy.
3) What can be inferred from this title, "Motivational Adequacy or Holiness", is that Hartshorne interprets the classical conception of Holiness as motivational adequacy.
4) What can be inferred from this title, "Causal Adequacy or Divine Power", is that Hartshorne interprets the traditional conception of divine power as causal adequacy.
5) In this section, Hartshorne argues that divine personality is merely abstract, so he can not be actual. And he insists that God is "a supreme person"(p. 142).
6) In this section, Hartshorne argues that asceticism, moralism, optimism, and obscurantism are all ignorant of divine relativity(p. 149), that absurd segregation, blind pacifism, and idolatrous worship of the non-ultimate power are derived from false understanding of power, divine or human.