***Reason
: its office and limitations :
'For
always the form prevails and the spirit recedes or diminishes. (p9) It attempts
to anyway revive form, return to it but the time tendency is too strong. So in
history of religions efforts of saints, sages, religious reformers became
progressively more scattered, brief and superficial. –though vital impulse was
strong. Then the gulf between conventions and truth becomes too intolerant and
men of intellectual power arise, they are the swallowers of formula- - they
reject robustly or fiercely or with calm light of reason symbol, type and
convention. These are seekers of reason, discoverers.
‘The champions of old order may be right’ when they try to
suppress the individual and his rebellious attempts, but he is Rudra, and to
destroy old worn out things, to lay down foundation of the new is his mission. However[1] , individual has to work with his available enlightenment of the
time, within some possible forms of knowledge to which he has access. Thus, the
unrestrained use of individual reason and insights can be dangerous for the
ultimate aim of finding truth and happiness for the mankind.
.
On[2]
every individual age there are two general decisions: 1 General standard of
truth to which all can subscribe. 2. Some principle of social order to put rein to desire and interest by providing
at least some intellectual and moral test (p16) and enthusiasm in discoveries,
social justice and sound utility. Triumph of physical science was due to
satisfying of these psychological wants.
However,
these laws seem to lead logically to the suppression of that very individual
freedom which made the discovery and attempt at all possible[3] . The laws were those of pack, herd, of mass
and not that of an individual. This is what is happening by new government
socialism and rigid economic socialism. Rationalistic science overpassed
itself, a flood of psychological and psychic knowledge which compels new view
of humanity / human being which opens new vistas before mankind[4] .
1) Age
of Reason drawing an end, novel ideas sweeping – will to live by Nitschez,
Intuition by Bergson, Suprarational by German,…Therefore, success of individual
and rational with respect to new typal but subjective[5] ……
2) East
is awakened from its slumber, latter is breaking down from old conventions but
will not repeat west’s individualism. It
will follow its own bent may be of practical spirituality.
3) Office
and Limitations of Reason:
4) ‘Intellect leads man to gates of greater self
consciousness and places and places him with unbandaged eyes on that wide
threshold where more luminous angel has to take him by hand.’ It is guide,
teacher, purifier and liberator The intellect takes lower nature, each in their
own area, teaches them, to discern intelligently the high in them from low, pure from impure, from crude confusion
to luminous formulae, to look beyond, to look at each other. P105~
5) Intellect
strengthens hedonistic and aesthetic ... Soften their quarrel with ethics,
gives them solidity, at the same tone, it also sweetens ethics and will. Data
is practical or powers supported with actualities…..? By infusing psychic,
hedonistic, aesthetic and ennobles by all- practical, dynamic, utilitarian.
6) It
works like judge, provides rules, provides systems, human soul to walk by
assumed settled path and law with as ascertained measure and balanced rhythm.
Double action of intelligence: fixing a rule and liberating from a rule.( and
in due season questioning what is accomplished. ) In this double action progress of the race is
assured. Action of individual not only 1[6]
downward and outward about external life sub life law and order of it present
and future potential. 2. Upward and inward –more luminous function accept
divinations from the hidden eternities –opened to power above derives from
behind the veil, an indirect knowledge of universal principles. Seize intelligent form: Ideas-intellect-forms and moulds is the
transmission. They descend for it separation, combination, analysis and
synthesis. Therefore, disparate and conflicting ideals. Which we have all difficulty in the world to bring. Each is
true and something essential in us responds to it –law or instinct. Each
attempt is important for it, increases width and wealth of our nature. Opens to
larger possibilities of self understanding and self mastery. (p108) Constantly
convert the lower half animal to stuff of intelligence through available
imperfect self conscience. It has to progress in steps piecemeal with back and
forth moves partial experiments always contrive new harmony. If claims of
intelligence are allowed each is unjust victory
impoverish and imprison his faculty. Politics and society are series of
adventures from autocracy to monarchy, democracy, etc. each pushed to extreme
in its purity and again mixed and combined as possible. Mankind works out by
stress of spirit. (p109)
7) Each
type leads to new type, each combination to new combination-growing self
experience and self actualization –break to enlarge to make room for an
increase of human capacity and perfectabiltiy. Intellect is double worker: 1.
dispassionate Lucifera 2. Passionate Fruitifera[7]
8) Advantage of intellect is that it is not
absorbed on its own but plays on all others.-discover their laws, truth, makes
discoveries serviceable. Man does not live for knowledge alone. But to serve
life, here it falls in confusion and imperfection. Because it becomes servant
of something else. Even if intellect works by mode 1, i.e. 100% impartial and
dispassionate, though it is impossible
to be so, still truths it finds are playthings of forces as they are applied on
which reason has no control.
9) Truth
is hidden due to two faiths 1. Reason of me is right and that of others is
wrong. 2. Collective reason is always right. Even if individual reasons are wrong[8] .
10) Man
should grasp little at a time and move to a succession of experiences.
11) Justify
and enlighten to him various experiences and give him faith and conviction in
holding on to his self enlarging- its inconstancy holding opposites is whole of
its value
12) Build
change destroy what is in succession of Time, to build and prepare for new
means progress, to enlarge.
13) Reason
cannot substitute sovereign if it tries perfection of life, life will be
baulked and deprived of its most powerful sources, becomes sterile. Root power
of life are below, irrational and above suprarational. But by constant
enlarging Reason can come /arrive at an intelligent sense of that which is
hidden from it: a passive yet sympathetic reflection of Light.
14) “There
is a soul., a God, I am his minister, I can remove thick integument>..? Then
you will know yourself -1. Discover the highest and widest law of your being.
2. Become possessor or atleast receivers and instruments of higher will and
knowledge than mine. 3. Lay hold at least on the true secret and the whole sense
of a human and yet divine living.” To attain divine reality is the aim of the reason[9]
15) A.
Neither a. Hellenic ideal of all round philosophy, physical, aesthetic. ‘sound
mind in sound body’, wise men and free society. Well trained mind, trained in
the sense of ancient and not modern education.: Philosophy, Aesthetic,
Political …pursuit of beauty. : Physical level
16) B.
Nor modern efficient successful economic civilization. Science, economics,
Utilitarianism..pursuit of Utility.:
Mental level.
17) But
if we follow Subjective age, we are led to a still ancient ideal that
overtops both Hellenic and modern
levels. Man[10]
is developing spirit trying here to find and fulfill itself in the
form of mind, life and body and we shall perceive luminously growing before us
a greater ideal of a deeply conscious self illumined self possessing self
mastering soul in a pure and perfect
mind and body. Not metalized physical life but new spiritualized life. Our aim of self –fulfillment is an integral
unfolding of the Divine- within us, and a complete evolution of the hidden
divinity in the individual soul and the collective soul. Each man is born with and reflects one
element of the divine nature. His character, ethics, training, occupation
perfection to seek in this life is as per that law. There was fourfold order:
Barhman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra. This is Typal, not of highest Ideal
Satyuga age or Krityuga age. Nor it is so in the iron age or Kaliyuga (Life of
instincts, impulses, desires, reason is servant of lower in Kaliyuga.)
18) P118:
Sat by dharma
19) Treta by will power and force of character
20) Dwapar by law, arrangement, fixed
conventions
21) Each
man is containing full divinity and so Shudra is not completely Shudra, nor
Kshatriya completely Kshatriya.. that is dominant trait not the only trait in
the person. Each contains some part of other.
22) Study
dealing with suprarational (turned to Absolute) and infrarational where reason
is mediator.
23) Relative
influence in finite. Unity in all divisions and differentiate realities… relative and absolute, divisions and oneness.
–finite attempts to express and while expressing deny it.
24) Suprarational: The aim is reconciliation between secret and
eternal reality and the finite appearances. Therefore, our highest faculty are
those which make it possible.
25) Infrarational: Origin and basis of the infinite of the
inconscient. Crude and haphazard intuitions of the subcoinscious, physical,
vital and emotional, sensational mind and will in us. Finding some finite order
, struggle to self create…?or (p119)
26) But because it proceeds by ignorance and
not by knowledge, it cannot truly succeed in this most vehement endeavour. The
life of reason and intelligence will stand between that upper and this nether
power. 1. Enlightens life of the
instincts and impulses and help them to find on the higher plane the finite order for which it gropes. 2.
Looks up towards the absolute, out towards the infinite, in towards the One.
But without able to grip or hold their realities.
27) *
28) Reason
is excellent but only as a servant, it is not sovereign. It is an intermediate
minister. It can give a correct law for other faculties, can provide some order
for the journey , but thats all. It is not the highest ideal nor rationalist
society is the highest type of society. For such individual or society will be
arid, too mechanical and will crush or siphon all the other springs of life.
That definitely is not the intention behind existence.
Yet one cannot overlook unique utilities of Reason[11] :
1.Reason can guide the lower faculties in understanding, reflecting, in
detached observation, this is especially important for these faculties are too
indulged in their own play. It is this ability to detach, stand back and
observe, infer which gives the reason its supremacy among human faculties.
2.It also makes human faculties to look beyond themselves and try to get
enriched from each other. For example the perpetual conflict in Ethical and
hedonist i.e. pursuit of right v/s pursuit of beauty. Reason can provide a
plane for reconciliation.
3.It can be Viveka : discriminator between higher and lower, truth and false,
ugly and pleasing and thus is indispensable in the path to perfection.
4.It provides laws and acts as a judge to make sure that they are practiced or
at least pinching the human beings.
Of course these laws are temporary and they become too taxing, like a prison
after some time. Then reason itself makes the man to question and break the
laws to replace them by new set of laws.
This double current of fixing a law and replacing it by another is what is at
the root of human civilization's progress. Intellect can act only by
dissection, by division, classification, organizing and by synthesis. It cannot
take the Truth by roots nor can it take it as a whole in one stroke. Reason
does have a capacity of upward and inward turn as well, though used less as
compared to the other one. It is able to reach the upper realm of Ideas where
knowledge and force are one. But as it tries to bring the ideas down to some
form or expression, they are diluted and corrupted. Take for example our ideals
like liberty, brotherhood, equality, profit sharing, benevolent dictator,
socialism, back to Nature as so on, they all have some element of truth.
Because of that element they still persist, are pursued, are systematized,
formalized, theorized, but that is only an element of truth, not the complete
truth.
One has to proceed from ignorance to knowledge by slow and patient self
recognition, by self analysis and self organization. Physical, Vital,
emotional, aesthetic, hedonist, ethical, all have to reconcile with each other.
Not only that they also have to reconcile within themselves for there are many
layers and factions even within each of them. Reason cannot do it for most of
the time, for its very limitation is working in bits and pieces, in
reductionist way.
Pursuit of Truth for its own sake, whether in Science or in Philosophy is the
right use for reason. But mostly it is not that way. The pursuit by reason /
intellect is for understanding life, how it can serve life. The discoveries of
science done originally for dispassionate search for truth are later used to
satisfy vital and animal needs of the people. Intellect serving the lower
elements, intellectuals serving the ignorants is perhaps the biggest tragedy of
the modern age. It has served, practical humanitarianism, egoism, monstrous
weapons for mutual destruction. On one side it has drawn humanity close enough
with hope of global village, but then crushed it with the burden of monstrous
commercialism. It has not occurred only because science divorced itself from
religion. Religion itself is equally responsible for most horrendous crimes.
The problem is basically with the nature of reason itself. Reason can prove the
opposite things with equal felicity. It can support opposite philosophies,
isms, theories with equal force and power of conviction. As said earlier, it is
excellent as a tool, as a servant. So allows itself for any purpose and use.
Reason assumes that his view is correct and others are wrong and is able to
justify it.
But there again lies its value.
Several experiments of such reconciliation and perfection are carried out by
individuals and societies , through time cycles, and thus diverse self actualization,
self recognition experiences are gathered. Ordinary man generally accepts some
formulation and stops. But the more developed minds try to expand human horizon
through that new knowledge. Subjective[12]
age is very useful for such efforts. Though individually the experiments have
limitation, there combined effect in collective life ensures the enriching of
the race. For it is the variety of experience and its truth seeking elements in
diverse directions which laboriously chisel layers of ignorance from the hidden
luminescence of Truth.
By constant enlargement, opening, purifying reason can arrive at even that
which is hidden from it. This is the uniqueness and therefore the importance of
reason.
29) To
reieterate in order to get it very clear, following is role, importance and limitation of reason:
30) 1.
Reason is an intermediate minister and not sovereign power, but it can create a
temporary order in the passage to a higher illumination. It should organize the
life as it aims towards a greater truth, beauty and harmony.
31) 2.
Intellect should guide the lower faculties of emotion and desire in
understanding and reflecting, because they are now too absorbed in their own
urges. It should teach and guide the lower faculties to liberate and separate
the pure from impure, the high from the low and lead them from crude confusion
to more luminous formulae.
32) 3.
It should guide the lower human faculties to look beyond themselves and benefit
from each other.
33) 4.
The laws given by the intellect become a prison after some time, so the
intellect is to be used to challenge as well as to replace its own
formulations. This double current of fixing a rule and overcoming it ensures progress[13] .
34) 5.
Reason is necessary until higher consciousness is available in the evolutionary
process of individuals and humanity as a whole.
35) Apart
from these activities, intellect must also become receptive to ideas that
descend from higher levels of consciousness and are to be given a shape and
expression in some form. The highest ideas come from a plane where Knowledge
and Force are one and should lead towards self illumination and self
harmonization. How this receptive faculty could be facilitated with AI is yet to
be studied, though studies of brain images of experienced meditators and
experiments with biofeedback training may be promising directions.
36) For
Sri Aurobindo, the rational mind can be an efficient instrument for ordering
life, but it cannot truly know. It is hampered by a division from what it seeks
to know, He asserts the importance of the rational mind in the development of
the individual, and regards it as necessary for discrimination and intelligent
action. It strengthens one’s capacities for effective life in the world. He
clarifies that though it is true that intellectual deliberation and right
discrimination are an important part of the Yoga of knowledge; but their object
is rather to remove a difficulty than to arrive at the final and positive result
of this path. Once one has purified the understanding by removing sense-error
and desire and old association and intellectual prejudgment, only then is the
intellect free to do its work of analysis and arrangement of conceptions.
Reason according to him is shot through
with threads of Prana (Life energy[14] ).
This means that due to its preoccupation with the body, indulgence in sense
experiences and their associated desires, passions, attachments, etc., very
often the intellect of a person is unable to do its intended function of
dispassionate enquiry, analysis and logical inference from objective facts.
There is a positive and essential role to be played by Mind in life and if that
is missed then it leads to error.
***
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