(Chairperson - English Dept. - Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi)
Humanism has been a powerful ideology especially in western civilization. The term itself is usually ascribed to German educationist F. J. Niethammer who in 1808 used it to denote the study of Greek and Latin classics - "Literae humaniores" or human letters. Through the term is of more recent coinage, humanism actually refers to the rediscovery of the classics, which was a distinguishing feature of the Italian Renaissance. To move from a God-centric, to a man-centric universe was indeed a major shift for the West. Arguably it is this shift which gave rise not only to Humanism as such but also to Humanities or the study of human beings as it is revealed in History, Literature, Art and so on. Humanism, especially secular Humanism of European humanists like Voltaire and Hugh helped to undermine the dogmatism and the power of the Church. This is turn contributed to the secularization of western society. Post-enlightenment academic disciplines tended to divided into pure or natural sciences on the one hand, and human sciences on the other.
But more broadly speaking humanism connotes a brief in the value of human beings regardless of other super-human or super-natural claims represented by beliefs such as “God made man in his own image.” Humanism then has been an underlying emphasis in most of the major philosophical and ideological currents of the great religions of the past as well as the political movements of the present in so far as they help improve and validate human life and experience. The major religions of the past also have humanism in them. The golden rule “Love thy neighbour as thy self” is a good example because some version or the other of it is available in nearly all faiths. Humanism, then, has only been a part of traditional religions but also used to denounce certain religious practices which do not enhance the dignity of human beings. For instance institutions like slavery which had its own defenders in the Church or Sati which was also defended by some orthodox groups on religious lines. Humanism has also served to bolster the cause of under privileged groups including racial, religious and other minorities, as indeed it has to support women’s rights. It is from Humanism, then, that the entire discourse of human rights may seem to have emerged. In the 20th Century, many writers and thinkers, disillusioned with both religion and secular ideologies like Marxism, called themselves simply as humanists, those who espoused the cause of common men and women all over the world.
One of the draw backs of humanism however is that it is too anthropocentric neglecting at times the rights of other creatures like animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants to their habitat and environment. The needs of men and women if tended to at the expense of all other livings beings might result in great environmental degradation. This plant has not known a greater plunderer than man. Yet it is home not just for humans but many other types of life. If Humanism means the welfare of human beings to the exclusion of others it seems to be an ideology that supports human domination to the extent of the extinction of other species. The other argument against Humanism is that it seems to deny the divine or the trans-human sphere of consciousness, which many if not most human beings have glimpses of, but cannot but fully realize. To imagine that there is nothing above or beyond the human does seem to suggest a kind of hubris. Man may indeed be the measure of all things but to consider man as sovereign may also rest in the diminution not enhancement of human possibilities.
In India, in the last hundred years or so, we have had quite a few experiments with Humanism. Of these two notable ones are the radical humanism of M. N. Roy and his successors, and Gandhian humanism which is a mixture of religious piety, social activism, and concern for the down trodden. Among those who contributed to the literature on Humanism in India is Shri Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, more commonly known as Ananda Murti to his followers, outside of Ananda Marga circles Sarkar’s work is not very well known. His philosophy may be encapsulated in the acronym P.R.O.U.T (Progressive Utilization Theory). According to this theory human beings can only progress through a synthesis of the mental, physical and spiritual dimensions of our nature, which in turn will contribute to the establishment of a truly progressive human society. PROUT is an alternative to both capitalist and communist paradigms. It also seeks to harmonise the spiritual and material interests of human beings.
Unlike other forms of humanism which are mostly rationalistic, PROUT is based on Sarkar’s Neo-humanism which is also spiritual in that it believes that true humanism can only be effective through the self realization and expression of spiritual qualities of human beings. According to Neo-humanism, material or intellectual progress is not sufficient but these must be combined with spiritual transformation. Sarkar’s Neo-humanism does not give up rationality but tries to go beyond reason towards the realization of supreme consciousness. For Sarkar, Neo-humanism is nothing short of a blueprint for human perfection: “Devotion is humanity’s greatest treasure, but when this devotion is elevated to a devotional sentiment, a devotional mission, to the realm of devotional ideation – when the underlying spirit is extended to everything animate and inanimate in this universe – I have designated this as ‘Neo-Humanism.’ This Neo-Humanism will elevate humanism to universalism, a cult of love for all creative beings of this universe” (7).
According to Sarkar the obstacles in the way of the Neo-humanistic world are what he calls “geo-sentiment and socio-sentiment”. Both these are parochial, restrictive and limiting, creating conflicts on the basis of nation, race, creed, community, case and so on. According to Sarkar, it is by harnessing the sentiment of devotion to the supreme that these prejudices and chauvinisms can be overcome. Sarkar advocated the cultivation of reason through study and education in order to overcome ones narrow mindedness, but ultimately only through the harnessing of ones finest inner resource, which is the sentiment of devotion to the supreme that the change can occur.
Some of Sarkar’s ideas on neo-humanism may be found in a little booklet called The Liberation of Intellect: Neo Humanism. This consists of a series of eleven discourses delivered mostly on Sundays between 31st December 1981 and 29th March 1982. Sarkar’s Neo-humanism is notable in that it includes non-human beings as well. In one of his discourses he asks, “Who says that those creatures who have lost their immediate utility value have no right to exist? No one has the moral right to say this. No one can dare to say that only human beings have the right to live and not non-humans. All are the children of Mother Earth; all are the off spring of this Supreme Consciousness” (66). In fact in this discourse which he calls ‘pseudo-humanism’ (59-68), Sarkar clearly says that such humanism which only safeguards the rights of human beings at the expense of that of the other creatures on earth is no humanism at all. He says that “human beings will have to progress further towards perfection” (67) the way ahead according to Sarkar is through knowledge. Following traditional authorities, Sarkar divides knowledge into two types: Parajijnana or Aptajijnana on the one hand and Aparajijnana and Praptajijnana on the other. The first kind refers to transcendental knowledge and the latter refers to material knowledge. Transcendental knowledge is of “no use” as such but it does help us escape from the bondage of delusion, falsehood, defects in non-transcendental knowledge can only be corrected through scientific study and rationality. So in order for neo-humanism to be established continuous research, development, progress in the study of the phenomenal universe is necessary. It is this that contributes to the material well being of the people and will also counteract geo sentiments and socio sentiments.
Sarkar’s neo-humanism seems to be a way of reconciling the tensions and oppositions between the spiritual and the material, the individual and society, the local and the universal. This philosophy invites further study and reflection. The dedicated Avadhooth of Ananda Marga tried to capture and embody the spirit of neo-humanism in their life and works and then we see the urge to help humanity and serve others selflessly.
Sarkar, Prabhat Ranjan, The Liberation of intellect: Neo Humanism, 4th ed. Anandanagar, West Bengal: Ananda Marga Publications, 1989.
