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Namah Vol. 31, Issue 4, 15th January 2024

Comments on Psychological Theories Without psychology, metaphysics by itself
cannot explain the world.

“All questions of the reality or unreality of the
world, its fundamental or ultimate purpose or
want of purpose, the destiny of the soul, must
be left over till the psychological data have
been understood.... Metaphysical reasoning
by itself could only give us philosophical
opinions, psychological verification makes....
truth a firm guide in life. It gives us a tangible
ladder of ascension by which we rise to our
highest truth of being (29).”

The Dilemma of Psychologists

Modern Western psychology started with an
Sri Aurobindo was pragmatic enough to identity crisis. The perennial psychological
admit the inevitability of a multitude flow throughout the ages had always
of psychological and developmental acknowledged that psychology was the study
theories to exist simultaneously, unlike of the soul or the Spirit, a view which was
the domain of physical sciences. He still reflected in the definition of psychology
commented that the data in psychology by The New Princeton Review of 1888. The
was so `….subjective, fluid, elusive” that early votaries of modern psychology had
they “do not subject themselves to exact the dilemma of separating metaphysics
instruments, can lend themselves to varying from psychology and found their idol in
theories, do not afford proofs easily verifiable Gustav Fechner, who applied quantitative
by all (27) “He also wrote that, “….indeed, measurements to the mind. Wilhelm Wundt
several conflicting theories hold the field had expressed his gratitude to Fechner
together (28).” Sri Aurobindo also explained for making psychology scientific. In an
that to understand metaphysics either through interesting overview, Ken Wilber showed
psychology or through science was difficult: that some of the leading psychologists,
in the first case, psychological theories were whom modern psychology eulogises as
like shifting quicksand on which no firm pioneers of scientific psychology and to
metaphysical building could be erected; whom are traced the credit of separating
in the second case, the whole basis of psychology from metaphysics, were either
metaphysics tumbled every time science deep believers of spirituality or had carried
altered its views. seed-ideas obtained through intuitive
lineage. Thus, Gustav Fechner himself had
Yet, Sri Aurobindo viewed that metaphysical written a philosophical treatise where he
reasoning must be supplemented by psycho- explained that when one dies to the separate

logical insights to know the riddle of existence. self, one awakens to the expansiveness of the

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