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unity of
the forms of transition into the new state of
consciousness in men belonging to different centuries and peoples, and the
unity of their sensations of the world and themselves, testifying more than
anything else to the genuineness and reality of their experiences.
The founders of world religions, prophets, philosophers, poets -in Bucke's
book these are 'men of cosmic consciousness'. He does not pretend to give a
complete list, and one could certainly add many more names to it.*
But, after all, what is important is not the imperfections of Bucke's book,
nor the amendments which could be made to it. The important thing is the
general conclusion which Dr Bucke draws about the possibility and the
nearness of the
NEW CONSCIOUSNESS
.
This tells us that
NEW HUMANITY
is near at hand. We build, without taking
into account the fact that a
NEW MASTER
must come who may not approve at
all of what we have built. Our 'social sciences', sociology, etc., have only
man
in view. Yet, as I have already pointed out many times, 'man' is a composite
concept, including in itself different categories of men whose paths are
completely different. And the future belongs not to
man
but to
superman,
who is already born and lives among us.
A higher race is rapidly arising from the bulk of humanity, and it is arising
through its own peculiar, understanding of the world and of life.
It will truly be a
HIGHER RACE
- and there will be no possibility of any
falsification, any substitution, any usurpation. Nor will it be possible for
anything to be
bought,
nor
appropriated
by deceit or force. And not only is
this race coming, but it is already here.
Men approaching the transition to this new race are already beginning to
recognize one another; watchwords, signs and countersigns are already being
established. . . . And maybe the social and political problems, so acutely
thrust forward by our times, will be solved on quite a different plane and in a
totally different manner than
* Dr Bucke makes a very grave mistake in speaking about self-consciousness. In
his opinion 'simple consciousness' is a characteristic of an animal, and 'self
consciousness' a characteristic of man. But as a matter of fact a prolonged self
consciousness during sensing, feeling or thinking is a very rare phenomenon in man.
As a rule what is called self-consciousness is simply a thought, and it takes place
post
factum.
True self-consciousness exists in men only as a potentiality, and if it manifests
at all, does so only at moments. These momentary flashes of self-consciousness should
be distinguished from prolonged self-consciousness. Prolonged self-consciousness is
already a new consciousness. It brings with it the possibility of moments of cosmic
consciousness, which, in its turn, may with further development, become prolonged.
we think - namely, by the appearance on the stage of a new race,
CONSCIOUS
OF ITSELF
, which will then judge the old race.
In my comments I pointed out certain defects of Dr Bucke's book, arising
chiefly from a kind of irresolution, a fear to admit the paramount importance
of
higher consciousness.
This fear lies at the basis of Dr Bucke's desire to
view the future of humanity from the positivist standpoint, basing it on
political and social revolutions. But this view has lost all value. In the bloody
epoch we are now going through, the bankruptcy of materialism, i.e. of
logical systems, in the organizing of life is becoming self-evident even to
those people who only yesterday were extolling 'culture' and 'civilization'. It
becomes increasingly clear that changes in the external life, i.e. changes in
the life of the many, if they must come at all, will come
as a result
of inner
changes in the few.
Further, taking Dr Bucke's book as a whole, we may say that, having
assumed the
natural growth of
consciousness, he does not notice the fact that
the unfolding of these faculties is not a natural process, but that it requires
conscious work. Dr Bucke does not mention at all any conscious efforts in
this direction, does not speak of the idea of the
culture of
cosmic
consciousness. Yet there exists a whole series of psychological teachings
(occultism, yoga and so on) and a voluminous literature, having in view
precisely this systematic culture of higher consciousness. Dr Bucke does not
seem to notice this, although he himself touches upon it several times, and
continues to take his stand on the idea of natural growth. At one point in his
book he speaks very contemptuously about the use of narcotics for the
creation of ecstatic states, not taking into consideration the fact that narcotics
cannot
give
a man anything he has not already got (which explains the totally
different effect of narcotics on different people). All they can do, in certain
cases, is to
reveal
that which is already in a man's soul. This circumstance
completely alters the view of narcotics, as Professor James has shown in his
book
The Varieties of Religious Experience.
On the whole, carried away by the evolutionary point of view and fixing
his eyes on the
future,
Dr Bucke, like many others, does not pay sufficient
attention to the
present.
Yet the new consciousness which a man may find or
awaken
in himself
is naturally more important for him than the consciousness
which may or may not appear
in other men
thousands of years hence.
Examining from different standpoints the complex forms of the
manifestation of spirit, and analysing the views and opinions of different
thinkers, we are constantly confronted with what seems to be gradual phases
or consecutive stages of development. And we find that these stages or phases
are four in number. Examining further the living world known to us, from the
lowest living organism to man, we see the simultaneous existence of all the
four forms of consciousness, to which all the other aspects of inner life
correspond: space-sense, time-sense, form of activity, and so on. Further,
examining the
higher type of man
we see in him the presence of all the four
forms of consciousness which exist in living nature, with corresponding
forms.
Forms of consciousness
'Higher type of man' Living world
Latent consciousness,
similar to our instincts
Cells, groups of cells,
Cells, groups of cells,
and subconscious
plants and lower
tissues and organs of
feelings.
animals; organs and
the body.
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