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Namah Vol. 25, Issue 4, 15th January 2018

his work, The Human Cycle (4). I close the gave people a particular impulse to live.
paper by exploring current trends in American While acts such as sacrifices are difficult to
psychology that indicate a possible departure comprehend to the modern mind, they were
from a strictly psychobiological view of the likely an honour to participate in at the time.
human psyche.
The second stage, the age of the ethical and
Sri Aurobindo’s psychology of social conventional, is born out of the typal
development and symbolic. Individuals forfeit their
unquestioning zeal for life because of their
In The Human Cycle, Sri Aurobindo adapted individual desire to self-actualise and pursue
the social theory of Karl Lamprecht, which ambition. This results in an epoch where
outlined successive stages through which individuals still engage in the religious
society develops, to his theory of the Integral traditions of the previous age, but no longer
Yoga. The Integral Yoga posits that conscious- exude the same inner compulsion toward
ness wills matter to evolve into higher physical them. Instead, individuals begin to employ
forms — passing through the stages of gross their vital and mental will to impose self-
matter (inanimate objects), life (animals), and control on themselves so that they behave as
mind (human beings) — in order to fully they should in their societal roles (rather than
express itself in the physical world. The human behaving how they are in the symbolic age).
being is not viewed as the final stage in the Societies that have exhibited this may include
evolutionary process. Rather the human being’s medieval societies, such as that of Japan,
unique ability to turn its conscious awareness which placed great emphasis on proper
inward (instead of a constant outward focus outward expression despite one’s contrary
on the physical world) permits it to become inner impulses. Despite its beauty in self-
an active participant in the evolutionary control, this age ultimately results in people
process via introspection and psychological maintaining positions of power based on
growth. Consciousness at greater heights their inherited rank (kings claiming to have
includes increased knowledge, delight and divine powers, popes, clergy, etc.), rather
participation in life. than any true inner gift or call to wield the
power successfully.
Sri Aurobindo identified four general stages of
social evolution through which consciousness The third stage, the age of individualism and
evolves: 1) the age of the typal and symbolic; reason, results directly from the injustices
2) the age of the ethical and conventional; 3) committed by those who maintained power
the age of individualism and reason; and 4) in the stage of the ethical and conventional.
the age of subjectivism and the spiritual. The As human mental knowledge increases and
first stage, the age of the typal and symbolic, is becomes increasingly widespread, people are
exemplified by ancient societies such as the able to utilise their newly developed reason
Vedic cultures of India, the ancient Egyptians to question the dogma and superstitions that
and Mayans, which exhibited unquestioned maintain undeserving people in power. This
spiritual zeal. In these societies, the religious age is exemplified by the first developments
symbol governed all of life and society and of science which, with its basis on physical

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