Neohumanism

The idea of neohumanism emerged from the need to extend human existential outlook and vision beyond the borders of “humanity for the sake of humans”. As such, neohumanism is a renaissance idea, the rebirth and rethinking of human being in an integrated three-fold world: physical, psychic and spiritual.

Moving on from earlier efforts in various fields, in 1982 renaissance thinker Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar formulated the philosophy of neohumanism. Shrii Sarkar’s neohumanism is the spirit of humanism extended to all:

“When the underlying spirit of humanism is extended to everything, animate and inanimate, in this universe – I have designated this as Neohumanism. This Neohumanism will elevate humanism to universalism, the cult of love for all created beings of this universe.”¹

Some of Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar’s discourses on neohumanism

In particular, the philosophy of neohumanism deals with the role of sentiments in various forms, rationality, intuition and spirituality. It analyses social and socio-economic dynamics of the misuse and proper use of sentiments, and defines neohumanism as devotion to all of creation, based on rationality.

Dr. Marcus Bussey on neohumanism

Blind sentiments build dogmas, “stifling the spontaneous growth of human intellect.”² For a long time, dogmas have prevailed in all fields of human activity. According to neohumanism, dogma is an irrationally established idea devoid of logic. Dogma gives rise to superstition, oppression and pseudo-spirituality. Rationality, on the other hand, is the ability to discriminate between right and wrong, between what should and should not be done. Human rationality should be applied for paving the way for liberating social, political, economic, educational, cultural and spiritual activities.

Vision

“In its philosophical stance, neohumanism distinguishes its moral and ethical philosophy from the liberal-humanist nexus of western political and intellectual traditions and modern and post-modern notions of human and social progress. Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar explains the core difference between neohumanism and traditional humanism. Neohumanism is ‘the philosophy which will make people understand they are not merely ordinary creatures…it…will liberate them from all inferiority and defects and make them aware of their own importance; it will inspire them to build a new world’”
– From a review of Neohumanist Educational Futures (listed below) by Mary Burston, La Trobe University, Australia.

Notes

[1] “Devotional Sentiment and Neohumanism”, The Liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism, PR. Sarkar, Ananda Marga Publications (Kolkata 1982).
[2] “The Liberation of Intellect”, Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 1, PR. Sarkar, Ananda Marga Publications (Kolkata 1986).

Literature

The Liberation of Intellect; Neohumanism. Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. Ananda Marga Publications (1982).
Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 1, Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. Ananda Marga Publications (1987).
Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 2, Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. Ananda Marga Publications (1987).
Neohumanism, Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, Ananda Marga Publications (2020). Compilation of the above three works.
Discourses on Neohumanist Education, Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. Ananda Marga Publications.
Neohumanist Education; Foundations of Neohumanist Education Philosophy, Principles, Practice. Avadhutika Anandarama and Arete Brim, Ananda Marga Gurukula (2023).
Neohumanist Educational Futures. Eds: Sohail Inayatullah, Marcus Bussey and Ivana Milojevic. Tamkang University (2006).
Neohumanism: Foundation for a New Society, Ronald Logan, CreateSpace (2018).