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Human Cycle: Psychology of Social Development
Sri Aurobindo explores the cycles of human development with an eye toward showing the underlying trend and impulsion in that development. He shows how humanity moves successively through various stages whereby different powers are developed and highlighted towards an ultimate integration and fulfillment of human destiny in an outflowing of our hidden spiritual nature in the diversity and vibrancy of our physical, vital and mental life.
- GenresPhilosophyPsychology
280 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
Sri Aurobindo
1,172 books424 followersSri Aurobindo (Bengali: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo) was an Indian nationalist and freedom fighter, major Indian English poet, philosopher, and yogi. He joined the movement for India's freedom from British rule and for a duration (1905–10), became one of its most important leaders, before turning to developing his own vision and philosophy of human progress and spiritual evolution.
The central theme of Sri Aurobindo's vision is the evolution of life into a "life divine". In his own words: "Man is a transitional being. He is not final. The step from man to superman is the next approaching achievement in the earth evolution. It is inevitable because it is at once the intention of the inner spirit and the logic of Nature's process."
The principal writings of Sri Aurobindo include, in prose, The Life Divine, considered his single great work of metaphysics,The Synthesis of Yoga, Secrets of the Vedas, Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, Renaissance in India and other essays, Supramental Manifestation upon Earth, The Future Poetry, Thoughts and Aphorisms and several volumes of letters. In poetry, his principal work is Savitri: a Legend and a Symbol in blank verse.
The central theme of Sri Aurobindo's vision is the evolution of life into a "life divine". In his own words: "Man is a transitional being. He is not final. The step from man to superman is the next approaching achievement in the earth evolution. It is inevitable because it is at once the intention of the inner spirit and the logic of Nature's process."
The principal writings of Sri Aurobindo include, in prose, The Life Divine, considered his single great work of metaphysics,The Synthesis of Yoga, Secrets of the Vedas, Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, Renaissance in India and other essays, Supramental Manifestation upon Earth, The Future Poetry, Thoughts and Aphorisms and several volumes of letters. In poetry, his principal work is Savitri: a Legend and a Symbol in blank verse.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 16, 2022
If one were to construct a political philosophy of the world using the deep spiritual insights of India, this is what it would look like. In this deeply original work, Sri Aurobindo constructs a meta-narrative of human social and political evolution - from the age of symbolism, to conventionalism, to individualism (where we are right now), and finally, to the elusive subjective age, leading us back towards the spiritual unity of the age of symbolism. Particularly interesting ideas here are those of the group-soul (including the nation-soul) and the ideal law of human development built on two principles: freedom and harmony. Both of these concepts are, in turn, an application of Sri Aurobindo's integral Advaita - accepting both nirguna and saguna Brahman, with the latter, ie. Brahman in everyone and everything being the ultimate truth (contra Adi Shankara). Freedom and harmony, values essential to any liberal-democratic society, hence are bestowed a spiritual grounding. In one sentence, The Human Cycle finally brings the eternal insights of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads to the political sphere, thus doing away with the need of the Dharmasmritis of ancient writers like Manu, Narada, Kautilya, and Yajnavalkya, who (at least in my opinion) completely ignored the spiritual message of universal oneness in their cruel discriminatory view of society.
December 1, 2021
Visionary and thought-provoking. Quite difficult to read, I had to go through the pages many times before understanding them. I loved how much he believed in the human possibility and the fact that he describes untouchable worlds without being dogmatic or detached from our present reality. The book was complimentary to my studies of Western IR theories.
November 9, 2021
overall a great book, especially in the beginning.
makes some very important distinctions relating to history of human societies and presents astoundingly nuanced, impressively thought-through views about social order, economy, and (most surprisingly) religion.
the only thing that speaks against it is the fact that the statements are continually overloaded with very similar, often superfluous terms and that the thesis "we must ascend beyond the rational mind" is repeated to the point where it becomes annoying. we do have to keep in mind that the book is an adaptation after a series of writings for a newspaper and this stylistic flaw is partly due to that.
the content is worth the read and aurobindo is addressing everybody, even those completely unfamiliar with theistic thought, so it's not full of complex theory. although i think some more of it concrete, colourful explanations and argumentations from hindu/buddhist traditions would make it even more appealing- in almost 400 pages there was room for more of that, but i think i have to look for this in his other books. in the last two chapters we are given some direction about how to proceed, but this is also probably more of a problem for other books.
would recommend to "spiritual newcomers" and to patient readers who want to look for some really fine gems in social theory from a spiritual perspective despite the repetition of "(already) self-explanatory truths" through a somewhat overstretched book.
makes some very important distinctions relating to history of human societies and presents astoundingly nuanced, impressively thought-through views about social order, economy, and (most surprisingly) religion.
the only thing that speaks against it is the fact that the statements are continually overloaded with very similar, often superfluous terms and that the thesis "we must ascend beyond the rational mind" is repeated to the point where it becomes annoying. we do have to keep in mind that the book is an adaptation after a series of writings for a newspaper and this stylistic flaw is partly due to that.
the content is worth the read and aurobindo is addressing everybody, even those completely unfamiliar with theistic thought, so it's not full of complex theory. although i think some more of it concrete, colourful explanations and argumentations from hindu/buddhist traditions would make it even more appealing- in almost 400 pages there was room for more of that, but i think i have to look for this in his other books. in the last two chapters we are given some direction about how to proceed, but this is also probably more of a problem for other books.
would recommend to "spiritual newcomers" and to patient readers who want to look for some really fine gems in social theory from a spiritual perspective despite the repetition of "(already) self-explanatory truths" through a somewhat overstretched book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews