Creative critique and anthropo-philosophy

possible for a mature person naively to take any truth for granted on the basis of some authority outside man. Only what man experiences or understands for himself can he accept as knowledge.

The present world crisis is not only a political and economic one. The view that the central issue for decision is between Communism and the ‘free world’ is essentially superficial. We are in a profound crisis in the development of Man’s consciousness. What are the outstanding features of this crisis?

First, that our world has become, for the first time in human evolution, one world. Modern transport and communications and our complete economic interdependence have brought it about that nothing can happen in any part of the world without affecting all the rest.

And yet the conflicts between the races, nations, religions and different world views are becoming ever more intense, each claiming to dominate and order the whole world exclusively according to their own principles.

Second, that the individual everywhere and especially in the West, is becoming more individuated. His inner awareness of himself as a separate individual is becoming lighted and intensified.

And though each of the world elements, whether nations, religions or world views is claiming to dominate the whole individual, and though individuals seem to be more than ever subjected to these vast power blocs and to be losing their own inner power of critical intelligence and initiative, this is only an outward appearance and a temporary pathological state. It is caused by the immense fear which each person feels when he sees that there is nothing before Man but to start realising his own human divineness. Third, that science has brought to us the real possibility of abundance of physical wealth. As Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins said in the address which was quoted above: ‘Most of us have had a tendency in the past to fear the gift of leisure to the majority. To believe that it may be a great social benefit requires some mental adjustment, and a belief in the educability of the average man or woman. But if the political aspirations of the nations

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