The Integralism of Sri Aurobindo

THE METAPHYSICAL SYNTHESIS inherent in the teaching of Sri Aurobindo may most aptly be described as the philosophy of integralism. An analysis of the main implications of the word will serve the purpose of presenting a brief outline of his philosophical outlook. I characterize Sri Aurobindo's philosophy as integralism insofar as it is a self-coherent articulation of the integral experience of reality. His philosophy is not exclusively based upon any particular province of human experience, such as moral experience or artistic experience or religious experience or experience connected either with natural science in general or with any particular field of scientific investigation. Most of the philosophical systems in the West are the outcome of a rational interpretation of the nature of the universe in terms of categories appropriate to a particular branch of knowledge. For instance, materialism is usually the philosophical outlook of a physicist or natural scientist, whereas spiritualism is a religious man's philosophy of life. Vitalism is usually the philosophy of a biologist turned philosopher; whereas a moralist usually discovers his philosophy either in ethical idealism or in idealistic evolutionism. Pragmatism is usually the philosophy of a man of action; whereas absolute idealism is the Weltanschauung of a speculative thinker of retiring disposition. Sri Aurobindo maintains that a sound and adequate philosophy should be based upon an integrated vision of the nature of existence. Such an integrated vision can be attained, not through mere critical reflection upon the plurality of fragmentary human experiences, but by outgrowing all partial experiences through a total mobilization of all the resources of human personality. An integral vision of reality implies two things: first, immediate contact with the inmost nature of existence in its manifold richness of content; second, an integration of such different provinces of experience as common sense, science, art, morality, religion, and the like, in the light of one's immediate insight into the heart of reality. The common name for this immediate insight or direct contact with ultimate reality is spiritual intuition. Spiritual

Evolution and Science Education · Indian History and Philosophy · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Philosophy

• The Cambridge History of Philosophy, 1945–2015

  Open Access•Iain Thomson, Kelly Becker et al.•Cambridge History of Philosophy,…•2019

  Add to list