WHEREAS THE INTRODUCTION LAID OUT in a preliminary way the concept of God that will be assumed throughout the book, the present chapter will sketch the historic and thematic background to Harts-home's aesthetics, concentrating on the background provided by Whitehead's aesthetics as detailed by Sherburne, as an understanding of Hartshorne's view is best facilitated via a consideration of where he agrees or disagrees with Whitehead (as well as with John Cobb, David Ray Griffin, Judith Jones, and other process thinkers).