Dear Member,
By Enquiries
Theosophy and New Paradigm Thinking
One of the concerns expressed by several newer members is the relation of Theosophy to contemporary thought. They call attention to the fact that we live in a world in which advances in knowledge - particularly in the sciences - are unparalleled and that it therefore seems important to know whether Theosophy stands outside these advances or whether, in reality, Theosophy can lead to a deeper understanding of what is happening in various areas of human exploration.
This is an extremely vital question, on the answer to which some of the major theosophical concepts would seem to stand or fall. It should be said, however, that so far as the basic principles - the really fundamental theses - of Theosophy are concerned, the findings of modern science often tend to confirm rather than to invalidate those principles. Such confirmation may not necessarily apply to some of the hypotheses which have been built upon these basic principles by various theosophical students over the years.
The 'fundamental principles' of The Secret Doctrine and the key ideas in the 'Summing Up' in that work were summarised in Letter No. 19. For our present purposes, we may greatly condense and paraphrase these major concepts of the theosophical philosophy in more modern language as follows: 1. The reality of the non-material; 2. The emergence of life from within as purposeful and goal-seeking; and 3. The rhythmic or cyclic unfoldment of consciousness.
Let us examine a few of the major trends in three fields of exploration which are of the most critical importance today. These are physics, biology and psychology. It is in these fields that some of the most significant advances have been made. Indeed, it has been stated by some of the most eminent representatives of these sciences that the boundary between the physical and the metaphysical has almost disappeared and the metaphysical view is rapidly becoming the only tenable one.
This letter must necessarily be confined to touching only very briefly upon a few points of correlation between basic concepts of Theosophy and some of the findings in these important areas of contemporary thought. There is a wealth of literature in each of these fields - much of it technical and addressed to experts (academics and scholars) in the respective disciplines. There is also an increasing number of books written for the lay person and some of these will be suggested so that those interested may engage in further exploration in areas that are truly exciting and challenging.
We might start by looking at what has been called 'new paradigm' thinking. The term 'paradigm' has become very popular in the last two decades or so as referring to a major shift in the way in which we view the world. The word itself simply means pattern or underlying base. In their recent book, Belonging to the Universe, physicist Fritjof Capra and Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast contrast the new paradigm thinking with the older paradigm view known as Cartesian, Newtonian or Baconian. Pointing out that the new paradigm is holistic, ecological or systemic, they suggest five features characteristic of the new mode of looking at the universe. Briefly, these may be summarised as (1) a shift from observing parts to recognising that the properties of parts can be understood only from the dynamics of the whole, and that what is called a part is only a pattern in an inseparable web of relationships; (2) a shift of emphasis from structure to process, acknowledging that structures reveal underlying processes that are dynamic; (3) a shift from the concept that there can be an absolutely objective description of phenomena, independent of the human observer, to the concept that the observer affects what is observed; (4) a shift from using the metaphor of building (fundamental particles as basic building blocks of nature) to using the metaphor of networking, perceiving reality as a network of relationships, with our descriptions forming an interconnected network representing the observed phenomena; and (5) a shift from the Cartesian ideal based on the view that scientific knowledge could attain absolute certainty to the recognition that all concepts, theories, descriptions of reality, are approximate and therefore limited. Just a review of these characteristics of the 'new paradigm thinking' reveals some startling correspondences with theosophical concepts.
Turning specifically to the field of physics, perhaps one of the most significant concepts is that of field theory. In scientific literature term 'field' is used to describe a particular condition characterised by three factors: (I) it is universal; (2) it is continuous in space and time; and (3) it is non-material. Familiar examples, of course, are the gravitational and electro-magnetic fields. Even such a brief statement of a very large and complex subject indicates the importance of the concept of fields in relation to the theosophical premise of the reality of the non-material. In fact, the subtler 'planes' of nature may better be described as 'fields' which are everywhere present, universal and non-material.
Among the advances in thinking in the area of biology is one of considerable interest to Theosophists. The work of Rupert Sheldrake in positing morphogenetic (or M) fields has been explored in several of his books, beginning with his first one, A New Science of Life. While Sheldrake's hypothesis is very controversial and has not by any means been accepted, it is interesting to note that he suggests that M-fields are invisible organising structures that mould or shape things like crystals, plants and animals, and even have an organising effect on behaviour. In other words, the M-field becomes a kind of blueprint that regulates and organises subsequent units of the same type. It has been suggested that there may be a correlation between M-fields and the concept of Akasha in theosophical literature.
Researches in psychology by such significant thinkers as C.G. Jung and his successors, as well as Ira Progoff, Abraham Maslow, Rollo May, and numerous others in analytical, humanistic, and transpersonal schools of thought, have opened exciting vistas into a fuller understanding of the nature of ourselves and the unfoldment of consciousness. The recognition in depth psychology that the psyche is a process, both purposeful and meaningful, and that there exist within the psyche archetypes of tremendous potency seeking actualisation in the wholly individuated person, may be related directly to the third fundamental postulate of The Secret Doctrine. The works of Ken Wilber (especially his Spectrum of Consciousness) as well as of those individuals listed above are particularly significant in exploring the entire field of psychological thinking.
This oversimplified and extremely brief review of some of the basic insights in physics, biology and psychology only hints at some of the challenging work to be done in bringing the theosophical worldview to bear on contemporary thought. A more complete analysis would illustrate the fact that the three fundamental propositions expounded by Blavatsky may be seen to underlie all areas of human knowledge.
A rich mine of study lies in such diverse disciplines as religion, music, art, philosophy and related areas of contemporary thought. The student of Theosophy has an unequalled opportunity to provide the metaphysical foundation upon which a true world culture may be erected. As one writer has said, science today no longer looks upon the universe as mechanistic, but as musical. e.g. Music of the Mind by Darryl Reanney. This is a poetic way of stating a profound truth: the universe, as science is revealing, is harmonious, metric in its proportions, and meaningful. The theosophical student has both an advantage and a responsibility. We may, by reference to the profound truths of the Ageless Wisdom, placed in the context of contemporary thought, lead the way to an understanding of the underlying synthesis of knowledge which illumines and makes purposeful the pilgrimage on which we, in company with all existent beings, are embarked.
Some Suggested Reading
Books in the three areas specifically mentioned in this Letter –physics, biology and psychology — are so numerous that it is difficult to select only a few. In addition to the works of such authors as physicists Fritjof Capra, Paul Davies, and David Bohm, biologist Rupert Sheldrake, and psychologists Carl Jung, Erich Neumann, Abraham Maslow, Ken Wilber, and Robert Johnson, the following may be of interest to the theosophical student. Your local TS library will most likely have a good collection in this subject area.
Intelligence Came First by E. Lester Smith
Dialogues With Scientists and Sages by Renee Weber
The Wholeness Principle by Anna Lemkow
The Search for the Pearl by Gillian Ross
Science and Spirit, edited by Ravi Ravindra
Music of the Mind by Darryl Reanney
The Philosopher's Stone by F. David Peat
The Universe Story by Brian Swimme & Thomas Berry
Atoms, Snowflakes and God by John L. Hitchcock
Looking Glass Universe by John Griggs & F. David Peat
The Moment of Creation by James S. Trefil
