I felt pressed to get the 3rd edition of The Yoga Party: Philosophical Writings (the present edition) out because I thought it was important to be put in circulation. Unfortunately to get the most out of this edition one would invariably need a philosophy background, both West and East (most importantly in the East Sri Aurobindo).
Since I’m aiming for a release date for the 4th edition by 2010 it’s time for me to get crackin. In this edition I will include a index, glossary, and footnotes with in some cases short excerpts of the relevant philosophers.
I also have unpublished political writings and poetry if the demand presents itself for the second and third volume of the Yoga Party. I imagine the present third edition will be difficult and frustrating for some reading it now. Once again I published this early because I think the ideas needed to be out there so I hope you will forgive me for releasing such a difficult text.
I’ve listed recommended reading on Goodreads which will give an introduction to the main ideas of Idealism, Materialism, Rationalism and Empiricism. I encourage you to join my discussion group on Goodreads (listed at the top) where I can answer questions. I truly believe that my book presents ideas which are important and relevant to todays discourse.
So until 2010 (and afterwards of course) I am available for any questions you may have so please don’t be afraid to ask. As is listed previously the Third Edition of The Yoga Party: Philosophical Writings is available on Google Book Search for those that don’t have the buck to drop and have iron clad eyes. I wish you well. Otherwise the bound edition is on Amazon.
So now the annotated version is underway…
Since I continue to post my work online free of charge (although copyrighted) I will be posting my new book here too, although it will probably involve revision before it goes on Google Book Search like my other books. I will list it in it’s own category on here in reverse order (descending instead of ascending as you read down) so you can read it in order at any time on this site. It should be posted here at least till I put it on Google Book Search.
In this book I’m more focused on the mechanism in western culture that results in social fragmentation. I’ll publish the introduction soon.
Please see under Pages “Links to Books Available”
Following is the introduction to the Yoga Party: Philosophical Writings which will be available soon to read at no charge on Google books:
Yoga Party Introduction
This is the first book of three. Firstly this book is Philosophical Writings, next is Poetry and last is Political Writings. The unifying theme to this series is the Yoga Party, ultimately a political party which emphasizes a state of mind.
In writing this book many basic philosophical principles are included. Those without a background in philosophy might want to brush up on basic philosophical thought, although I don’t feel it is impossible for someone to digest most of what is here with minimal preparation. The Donald Palmer books are entertaining and accessible. Most important I think is to keep an open mind when looking at the analysis. For those that wish to dive right in without any preparation I will identify some basic philosophical principles.
First of all philosophy is as old as humans have lived on this earth. Contrary to many professors of philosophy in the west, different philosophical positions exist worldwide which all contribute interesting perspectives to world thought. The study of western academic philosophy traditionally has largely ignored non-western philosophical traditions. Part of this definitely relies on a sort of feeling of superiority of this thought. This is changing somewhat now and non-western positions in some ways have penetrated western philosophy, although most of this penetration is based on philosophers borrowing from the non-western thought and adopting them as their own.
This book will not attempt to do this. I attempt in this book to approach the dominant world philosophical positions as being equal in value. But that is not to say that each traditions contribution to thought is the same. Ultimately though there are many more similarities between different philosophical positions than is often thought. All people have the same impulse to understand the reasons for the way things are and in doing so provide them some degree of comfort in understanding these things.
The stepping off point depends on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo. This 20th century master applied his interpretation of Hinduism to western thought. I attempt to present an interpretation that largely accords with Aurobindo yet ultimately rejects many of his tenets. For example his presentation of disembodied spirits runs counter to my rationalistic perspective.
Looking at Eastern and Western thought one finds many basic differences. In India for example where Aurobindo was born the prevailing attitude is that that which is most real is spirit while in the west we find attitudes about matter predominates. Aurobindo tries to find linkage between spirit and matter which I expand upon. I believe that Aurobindo’s thought can be used as a critique of western thought as well as indentifying dogmas inherent in eastern thought.
The predominant problem in the west lies in the confusion between metaphysics and epistemology. Metaphysics deals with the nature of reality while epistemology is involved in finding theories of knowledge. What we know and what there is can be very different things. What we know (e.g., epistemology) is useful but what is (e.g., metaphysics) is not necessarily known. In western society there is some confusion between these two aspects of western thought. Scientists often identify that which is known with that which is real. The gist seems to be that that which is real is only that which can be known. Only things that can be known can be considered when talking about the world, and if we don’t know something or can’t describe it then this is considered nonsense. Unfortunately this results in a very myopic view of the world.
If being myopic were the only sin of modern western thought then this would be something that we could all live with. But this perspective has some profound ramifications which are discussed at length within. Ultimately the way we see ourselves determines the way we see the world. A cultures bias is largely determined by their creation myths.
Humans need certainty in their lives in order to live an existence which minimizes anxiety. In order to feel comfortable we must assert our importance, our essence, our existence as being vital in the universe. But one curse of being free is the ability to investigate phenomenon with an open mind and to examine things which seem impossible or fantastic. For if we are free at all as a gift or curse from God we must exercise this quality be it for better or worse.
But hopefully broadening one’s outlook and keeping an open mind will enable one to examine things that before one thought not possible. It’s hard to see the forest from the trees but if we look hard enough and far enough we can find a place for ourselves there. So journey on and don’t tarry for the world is there for all to see and rends itself apparent in all our senses and minds. Journey on and see what there is to see. For to do otherwise is to waste our most prized asset, that of being fully human and fully conscious. Socrates said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Don’t go through your life as you are lost in a cloud but consider the great ideas of your time and also the new ideas that are just now being born.
