Page 9 - NAMAH-Jan-2020

Editorial

The meta-psychology of reason

Necessity of reason on the life-material of the universe (2).”

Sensory perception is the first gateway to Since the earliest days, whenever a human
the knowledge of the world, of ourself, of being has perceived a real threat to his life (be
our existence. Once its limits are exhausted, it a tiger or a gun facing him), he has taken it
the human being moves to another level of seriously, without any doubt. Surprisingly,
experience — reason. the same human being who perceived the
sun moving around the earth with the same
Of course, we do not wait to utilise our sensory apparatus had at some time in
ratiocination till our sensory experience gets history an element of doubt. It is the faculty
exhausted. Sensory perception itself has to of doubting that led him to look behind
be supplemented by our rational repertoire appearances. He had to employ his rational
of knowledge for clarification. It is thus we discrimination so that his senses could be
understand phenomena like optical illusions. invested with correct, error-free values.
Speaking of the usual human perception
of the sun moving around the earth (a The hard question is how did that element
scientific falsity but a phenomenal truth), Sri of doubt creep into his system, leading to a
Aurobindo states: ‘synthetic reinterpretation’ and reappraisal of
his perceptual information? Was it instinct?
“For the senses the sun goes round the earth; Was it some sort of intuition?
that was for them the centre of existence and
the motions of life are arranged on the basis of It may be argued that ‘reason’ itself supplied
a misconception. The truth is the very opposite, that doubt. Of course, it is the function of
but its discovery would have been of little use reason to argue and doubt. That is how man
if there were not a science that makes the new has been able to rise above superstitions,
conception the centre of a reasoned and ordered dogmas and stereotypes. But by the time
knowledge putting their right values on the reason had developed to an optimal level
perceptions of the senses (1).” as a universal faculty, man was already
flooded with a multitude of perceptual
“But the right goal of human progress must always inputs. Reason therefore needed some
be an effective and synthetic reinterpretation by intrinsic guidance to select those perceptions
which the law of that wider existence may be that required correction or revaluation. This
represented in a new order of truths and in a pre-programmed guidance must have been
more just and puissant working of the faculties instinctive or intuitive. To understand this

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