The Human Cycle

The Human Cycle -- S R I A U R O B I N D O -- 1950 -- CONTENTS Chapter Page I . THE CYCLE O F SOCIETY . . . . . . . . . 3 I1 . THEA GE O F INDIVIDUALI A S N M D REASON . . . . I 5 111 . THEC OMING O F THE SUBJECTIVAEG E . . . . 27 IV . THE D ISCOVER O Y F THE NATION-SOUL . . . . 37 V . TRUE AN D FALSES UBJECTIVISM . . . . . . 47 V1 . THE O BJECTIV AN E D SUBJECTIVEV IEWS O F LIFE . 59 V11 . THE I DEALL AW O F SOCIALD EVELOPMEN . T . . 68 V111 . CIVILISATION AN D BARBARIS . M . . . . . . 79 IX . CMLISATION A ND CULTURE . . . . . . . 89 X . AESTHETIC AN D ETHICALC ULTURE . 100 XI . THE R EASON AS GOVERNO O R F LIFE . . . . . 1 11 XI1 . THE O FFICE A ND LIMITATION O S F THE REASON . . 124 XI11 . REASON AN D RELIGION . . . . . . . . . 1 36 XIV . THE S UPRARATIONBAELA UTY . . . . . . . 1 50 XV . THE S UPRARATIONGAOLO D . 161 XVI . THE S UPRARATIONUALLT IMAT O E F LIFE . 172 XVII . RELIGION AS THE LAW O F LIFE . . . . . . . 1 9 2 XVIII . THE I NFRARATIONAAGLE O F THE CYCLE . 203 XIX . THE CURVE OF THE RATIONAL AGE . . . . . 214 XX . THE E ND O F THE CURVE O F REASON . 232 XXI . THE S PIRITUA A L I M AND LIFE . 248 XXII . THE N ECESSIT O Y F THE SPIRITUA T L RANSFORMA 25 T 9 I ON XXIII . THEC ONDITION FO S R THE COMING O F A SPIRITUAL AGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 XXIV . THE A DVENT A ND PROGRES O S F THE SPIRITUALA GE 291 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 he chapters constituting this book were written under the title THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SOCIAL DE VELOPMENT from m t h to month in the philosqh ical monthly, ARYA, from August IS, 1916 to July 15, 1918 and used recent and contemporary events as well as illustrations from the history of the . past in explanation of the theory of socialevolution put forward in these pages. The reader has therefore to go back in his mind to the events of that period in order to follow the line of thought and the atmosphere in which it developed. At m e time there suggested itself the necessity of bringing this part up to date, especially by s m reference to tater devekyments in Nazi Germany and the development of a totalitarian Communist regime in Russia. But afterwards it was felt that there was sufficient prevision and allusion to these events and more elaborate de scription or criticism of them was not essential there u7as already without them m adequate working a t and elucidation of this theo yof the social cycle. THE HUMAN CYCLE CHAPTER I THE CYCLE OF SOCIETY Moom SCIENCE, obsessed with the greatness of its physical discoveries and the idea of the sole existence of Matter, has long attempted to base upon physical data even its study of Soul and Mind and of those workings of Nature in man and animal in which a knowledge of psychology is as important as any of the physical sciences. Its very psychology founded itself upon physiology and the scrutiny of the brain and nervous system. It is not surprising therefore that in history and sociology attention should have been concentrated on the external data, laws, institutions, rites, customs, economic factors and developments, while the deeper psychological elements so important in the activities of a mental, emotional, ideative being like man have been very much neglected...