NEOHUMANISM Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
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Transcript of NEOHUMANISM Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
NEO-HUMANISM:
P.R. Sarkar’s Integral Holistic Socialism and the
Challenge of Social Transformation through
Rational Spirituality, Progressive Advocacy, and
Enlightened Ecological Socialism
According to PR Sarkar, there are various twisted sentiments that act as false consciousness prevalent in countries that were formerly colonized and exploited by colonial powers, these are geo-sentiments, religious sentiments, socio-sentiments, economic sentiments, and religious superstitions. These counterproductive sentiments create further psychic bondage and enslavement threatening the politico-socio-cultural life of a country. Humanism is problematic in that it is very narrow and its liberative interest is unsustainable and self-destructing; thus, humanism in its superficiality is “pseudo-humanism”. Neohumanism is the emancipator expansion, modification, and corrective to the failed project of humanism since neohumanism awakens the human consciousness from the limitations imposed by humanism/pseudo-humanism. Neohumanism is a cure to the pressing politico-social problems of “minimitis” and “maximitis” by insisting on the progressive principle of sama samaja tattva—likewise, neohumanism endeavors to balance individual interests with the need to address collective concerns.
Colonization created a negative understanding of groupism/groupthink; it also created an exploitative environment and a retrogressive pseudo-culture that beset newly decolonized countries after these countries gained their independence from colonial bondage. Therefore, any revolution and reformism that is not neo-humanistic will fail to see the holistic approach to integral liberation and due to its failure, so-called half-cooked reformists and revolutionaries become themselves part of the problem instead of the solution; furthermore, reactionary and narrow fanaticism, fundamentalism, and obscurantist religiosity add up to the problem of psychic exploitation. A truly socially involved spirituality that is relevant to the societal and political arena is the only solution to postcolonial debacles—as such, neohumanism as a collective spirituality that is socially engaged to the various needs of humanity is the sole potent answer to the evil of devisiveness, geo-sentiments, and disunity in our midst.
COLONIZATION
Problem: exploitative environment retrogressive pseudo culture
COLONIZERSFalse
consciousness
Geo-sentiments
Religious sentiments
Socio-sentiments
Economic sentimentsReligious
superstitions
Psychic bondage
&enslavement
COLONYPost colonial debacles in
politico-socio-
cultural life
Solution: a truly socially involved spirituality + NEOHUMANISM as a collective spirituality
HUMANISM
•Very narrow•Unsustainable•Self-destructing
NEOHUMANISM
•Cure to ‘minimitis’& ‘maximitis•Individual interests collective concerns
Sama samaja tattva
corrective
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar(Shrii Shrii Anandamurti)
(21 May 1921 – 21 October 1990)
Modern wr i terPhi losopher
Scient istSoc ia l theor ist Spi r i tua l leader
*le thief Give me your money, or I'll kill
you immediately!
*le Sarkar
Kalicharan, I promise to give you all the money I have. But first tell me whether you
rob people out of necessity or out of habit.
“All my life I wanted to be a good person, but was never given
the chance.
Little boy, teach me as
you want
*le Sarkar Me wife is ill. The doctors found it difficult to diagnose the disease,
but had decided to remove one of her kidneys. Me cannot comfort her cus she's in London hospital.
*le English manSend a cable
requesting the doctors to make another medical
check-up.
Do not worry. A simple operation will suffice. Your wife will
be cured and soon return to you.
“Who is this gentleman?”
It is Prabhat Sarkar, my sole friend when I was in distress
about your illness
It is impossible, because he is the same Indian doctor who
prevailed on the other doctors not to remove my kidney but to
prefer a minor operationI, uhmm.. Gotta go
Society
Situation: People tend to lose balance in social life
Problem: It lacks clear and well integrated philosophical base for
guidelines
SOLUTION
R H Y T H M & S P E E D
Inner Psychic Outer existence
DISEASE OF DUALISM
when there is no correspondence between people’s inner minds and their outer expression
if it is…
Then…
Human beings lose their mental adjustmentREMEDY
Situation: Fundamental principles of these philosophies were contrary to
the basic realities in the world
Problem: It flung humanity into the quagmire of dogmatism and did not contribute to the welfare of human
being
THEORIES/PHILOSOPHIES
unbalanced
SOLUTION
DEVOTIONAL SENTIMENT
P R O P E R P H I L O S O P H Y
P R O P E R P H I L O S O P H Y
Harmony:Spiritual and
Material Worlds
i n s p i r a ti o n
O n w a r d m o v e m e n t o f s o c i e t y
SAMA-SAMAJA TATTVA or NEOHUMANISM
DISCRIMINATION
INSTINCTSENTIMENT
*HUMAN BEINGS
*ANIMALS
Human existence is more psychic than physical
Animals: physicalHuman: psychic
Do’s and Dont’s
Propriety and Impropriety
Me follow me gustainborn
GEO-SENTIMENT
Geo-sociologyGeo-political
Geo-patriotismGeo-economics
Geo-religion
I’LL KILL AND DIE FOR THIS COUNTRY!!! NOOOO!!! That will
just degrade human beings and
undermines human excellence. So
noooh!!!
*le devotionalsentiment
Fascism, Imperialism,Capitalism, Oligarchy,Bureaucracy
Creates an oceans of blind faith
Geo-religion
“at least once in your life you should visit such-and such place of pilgrimage –then a cottage of heaven will be reserved to you
FIGHT GEO-SENTIMENT
Through developing RATIONALISTIC
MENTALITY
TOWARDS PERFECTION!!!
HOW??
STUDYING AND
LISTENING
STUDY
LITERAL NONLITERAL TRANSCENDENTAL NONTRANSCENDENTAL
Spiritual world Material worldDEFECTS
•Ignorance/false information•Due to change in time
SOLUTION
•Enlarge mental horizons & move ahead by shattering all geo/social bondages
Your god is the true God: all other gods are false.
Let that country be destroyed. I conquer
that nation for the sake of my own country.
Let others be ruined. I will exploit that country to serve the interests of my dearest homeland.
*le socio-religion
*le socio-patriotism
*le socio-economics
SOCIO-SENTIMENT
<3 xoxo
They have the right to life Why are they
hurting those citizens ???
This is injustice
Grrrrr! They deserve to be freeeee
I forgot what I was watching
Probably not that importantHMM
I LOVE THIS EXPENSIVE
MEAL
People’s way of thinking
SOCIO-SENTIMENT PROTO-SPIRITUALISTIC MENTALITY SUPREME ENTITY
SAMA SAMAJA TATTVA
(principle of social equality)(firm foundation of society)
devotion as a cult devotion as a principle
devotion as a mission
HUMANISTIC SENTIMENT
(no source ofInspiration = formalitydevoid of realsincerity)
NEOHUMANISM*source of inspiration: spirituality as a cult
INSPIRATION STRENGTH GOAL
MOVEMENT
Principle of selfish
pleasure
Principle of social
equality
Rests on DOGMA
SPIRITUAL PEACE(to the Supreme)
HOW? Form a new social order free from all inequalities
SAMA SAMA TATTVA
2 Divisions of the Living World
“I will shine in my own glory—I will establish myself by my own strength.
If I unite my individual intellect with others, we are strong physically and we’ll become strong intellectually
DANGER: GROUPISMPeople could not analyze anything logically; their
sentimentality confined them to groupism
Lies the same mental weaknesses, same psychic disease.
Shatter this bondage of limitation
Everything will be done gradually…
why so much haste?
No, no, how can I contradict the way
followed by my ancestors?
I am against social, economic, and
political exploitations
Let us go slowly on the path of reform
revolution
evolution
reactionary
Vocalrevolutionary
reformists
Different Paths/People
EXPLOITATIONMotivated by socio-sentiment, one group
harms and exploits another group in the social, economic, cultural and religious
sphere
PSYCHIC EXPLOITATION
We are better than you.we are entitled to greater rights.
we are first class citizens.
*le exploiters
*le exploited
SOCIAL GAP BROKEN FRAMEWORK OF SOCIETY
ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION
PSYCHO-ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION
POLITICO-ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION
*brute force *cunning intellectual strategy
RELIGIOUS EXPLOITATION
BELIEVE ME. You should not question me for I am only a
messenger of God…if you do, you’re going to hell
ME NO GUSTA GOIN TO HELL. IMMA
KEEP MA MOUTH SHUT AND SMILE
CULTURAL EXPLOITATION:
“PSEUDO-CULTURE”
You shall imitate our language, our attire, our
ideas…etc
Uhhhhhhh……
NEOHUMANISM
WE ARE IMPORTANT BEINGS…NOT INFERIOR TO ANYONE…LET’S BUILD A NEW WORLD
WITH SAMA SAMAJA TATTVA!!!
• Neohumanism is newly explained humanism.• It gives new inspiration and provides new
interpretation for the very concept of human existence. It will help people understand that human beings will have to accept the great responsibility of taking care of the entire universe.
• This philosophy will liberate them from all inferiority feelings and defects and make them aware of their own importance; it will inspire them to build new world.
It is a social and economic theory developed in 1959 by the late Indian scholar-author and activist Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. It synthesizes the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of human nature. Its goal is to provide guidance for the evolution of a truly progressive human society. It is an alternative to the outmoded capitalist and communist socio-economic paradigms. Neither of these approaches have adequately met the physical, mental and spiritual needs of humanity. PROUT seeks a harmonious balance between economic growth, social development, environmental sustainability, and between individual and collective interests. It promotes the ideal of one universal family sharing the properties of the universe together.
Progressive Utilization Theory: Green/Ecological Socialism and
Neohumanism
not only are humans protected from economic exploitation and political oppression, but also the environment—from unsustainable exploitation and destruction.
COMMUNISM
•Privileges the interest of the party and state•Command economy is responsive to production quotas•PROGRESS: material development
CAPITALISM•Primacy to property rights•Privileges the class controlling capital•Free market economy is profit motivated•PROGRESS: material development
PROUT•Promotes common welfare while protecting ecological integrity•Consumption oriented•PROGRESS: increase in inner fulfillment of individuals
MARXISM’s liberation
•Anchored on the consciousness of the collective
PROUT’s liberation
•Both anchored on the individual and the collective
PROUT remains its cynicism on a dictatorship of the proletariat because of its1) materialistic approach to the phenomenon of human relationships – which PROUTists argue is not only insufficient, but also divisive, and 2) Marxist-Leninist tendency to favor the ruling party or the state over the individual (spiritual) human’s progress.
Would PROUT really take place the place of Marxist Socialism?
Well-fitted for Asian semi-feudal, semi-colonial societies
• Economic democracy by PROUT posits that local/regional economies should proceed unhindered and uninfluenced by foreign economies/units.
• It argues that economic vitality can only be upheld if local/regional economies are controlled by local/regional cooperatives.
Neohumanism is a world-view characterized by love for the Supreme. Love for the supreme ultimately overflows onto all objects created by the Supreme. In turn, adoption of the Neohumanistic outlook safeguard and enhances the development of one’s world-view, and the more expansive the world-view, the more one finds the ecstasy and peace of devotion. In the liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism, Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar has laid the foundations of this philosophy.
To build a healthy human race we should have given them proper guidance in philosophy, in science, in all branches of human knowledge-which we did not do. We have utilized science more for destructive purpose than for benevolent aims; we have distorted the thought process of human beings; we have deliberately misguided the people instead of leading them along the proper path… the only remedy is Neohumanism.