Wholistic Humanism

Wholistic Humanism
Though Prout is a socio-economic theory that offers practical solutions to

the current social problems, it is not a materialistic philosophy. It is a
holistic approach to all-round human development.
Dr. Leonardo Boff is a theologian, professor and author of more than 50

books. He is one of the founders of Liberation Theology, a movement within
the Catholic Church which blends a socialist perspective and struggle for
justice with radical Christianity. He is a winner of the Right Livelihood
Award, often considered the alternative Nobel, for his work promoting human
rights. He wrote: “Prout is very important to all who yearn for a liberation
which starts from economics and opens to a totality of personal and social
human existence.”
Boff: “The exceptional importance of the Prout system resides in two

fundamental points: its completeness and its viability. The entire system
comes from a correct understanding of the human being, personal and
collective, and authentic human development …”
Boff: “In every person there are three dimensions: the physical, the mental
and the spiritual. The three of them are to be developed together. If not,
there is either no development or development that produces injustice and
many victims. Prout was carefully thought out to create a development with
equilibrium and with harmony. The result will be the welfare and happiness
of all.”
Boff: “The physical occupies all of the physical dimensions such as the
physical body, the world of measurable phenomena, nature, natural resources,
the fertility of the earth, the physical chemical elements, and the cosmic
energy which acts on our world. The Prout system teaches how to utilize to
the maximum the physical resources in such a way that is sustainable enough
for all who live in the world today and for all who will come after us. But
not only the humans, also the other created beings: rocks, plants and
animals.”
Boff: “The mental consists of the universe of the human mind, the
intelligence, the will, the imagination, the psychic life formed by emotions
and our inner and archetypal sensibility. The human being should develop his
or her mental capacities for self-development and the development of others,
through just behavior, the eradication of exploitative mechanisms, and
continual creativity in the face of new problems.”
Boff: “The spiritual is that disposition of the human being to link the
microcosms with the Macrocosm, to perceive the totality, to discover the
other side of all things, the message that comes from the greatness of the
universe. It is the capacity to contemplate, to venerate and to dialog with
the Mystery that the religions call God or the Force that guides the
universe. By the actuation of this dimension, the human being turns into a
cosmic being. This is an infinite practice. We should strive to encompass
all these dimensions in the process of sustainable development.”
The Importance of the Spiritual Dimension:
In June 2003 the Spanish edition of “After Capitalism” was published in

Venezuela. When the author presented the book to President Hugo Chavez, he
said:
“This book we appreciate very much. Your visit has come at such an opportune
moment. Thank you very much, brother, and let's continue with spirituality,
spirit, good faith, morality, and the mystical force that moves the world.”
Prout is based on universal spirituality, respecting the mystical search for

Truth in all sorts of religions, including the beliefs of indigenous
peoples. Consciousness is already within us, and the way to experience the
Supreme Consciousness is to go deep within our own minds. Inter-religious
gathering are to be supported for this reason.
The communist view of the human being.
Communism believes in materialism. Marx said that the human being is an

economic animal controlled by the historical forces of his or her time.
"Lenin said that the most essential thing in Marxism, the living soul of
Marxism is the concrete analysis of the concrete situation." (PSC Ch 2)
PROUT believes that this definition of the human being is extremely

limiting, for it devalues human life and suppresses higher human potential.
Every human being is a manifestation of Cosmic Consciousness. Not only
should one's physical comforts increase, but he or she should expand their
mind with new ideas and strive to attain the height of spiritual perfection.
But according to Sarkar, by the constant adjustment of psychic waves (the

analysis) to physical waves (the concrete situation) results in the gradual
crudification of the mind. Everything, even the subtle aspects of human
life become like stone.
Sarkar did not accept the communist ideal. Though Karl Marx was a humanist
who inspired revolutionaries to provide the minimum necessities of life to
everyone, Sarkar asserts that the communist philosophy was unsuitable for
human psychology. 'Serve according to your capacity and earn according to
your necessity' sounds good, but is not adequate to motivate most people.
By centralizing both political and economic power in the hands of the State,
many communist leaders developed a belief that only they were correct. This
arrogance, combined with a materialist philosophy, that the ends justified
the means, has resulted in communist Party tyranny.
Communist regimes throughout the world have generated intense

dissatisfaction amongst their own people. Party dictatorships ordered the
military to imprison or kill their own people if they tried to protest or
escape. These autocratic governments censored artistic expression, banned
private enterprise, stifled personal initiative, and prohibited religious
and spiritual freedom. These same dictatorships have now been overthrown by
popular revolts in Eastern Europe and Russia.
The capitalist view of the human being.
Capitalism is not ideologically opposed to spirituality or religious

beliefs, but it says that they have nothing to do with economic life. The
value of a resource is how much money people will pay for it. According to
Adam Smith, the most efficient production occurs when everyone follows their
own selfish desire - “the invisible hand”. Thus capitalism pushes consumer
materialism. But the strange contradiction is that the effective operation
of markets requires that traders be honest and truthful (Tim Hazeldine).
To understand how the Prout model can transform our society, we must look at
how it fundamentally differs from capitalism’s concept of property rights.
Capitalism adopted the ideas of the 17th century English philosopher John
Locke who asserted that by buying an area of land, a person had the right to
own it and use it as he or she pleased. This belief in the supreme value of
private property is fundamental to capitalism. It seems logical, rational
and obvious to us.
But this view is quite different to the perspective and values of the
indigenous peoples of North and South America, and of the traditional
societies of Africa, Asia and Australasia. They did not believe that the
land belonged to them; rather they believed they belonged to the land! These
traditional cultures were more cooperative by nature and usually treated
most of the land as a common resource. Individuals had usufructuary rights
to utilize, as does the collective.
Prout’s concept of “Cosmic inheritance” expands this traditional spiritual

perspective. It asserts that the planet and the universe are the common
property of all humanity. We have the right to share them and use them with
respect, but not to abuse them.
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs: a model of humanistic psychology.
These range, in ascending order, from physiological needs, to safety, a

sense of belonging and love, esteem, and self-actualization. Lower needs
must be met in order to progress toward meeting higher ones. At the level of
self-actualization, individuals with their physical and psychological needs
taken care of are free to be altruistic and to develop their higher
potentialities.
Maslow termed the state above self-actualization as the transpersonal level.

Activity here is psycho-spiritual or purely spiritual, characterized by
meditative introspection, perfect contentment, complete unselfishness,
feelings of harmony and oneness with the universe, and the experience of
higher states of consciousness. According to Maslow, this model enables one
to determine “better” or “poorer” societies, the better ones gratifying all
basic human needs of the population and permitting self-actualization.
Sentiments
A sentiment is the emotional tendency to identify with things we like --

whatever gives us pleasure. We transform when we can expand our sentiment or
allegiance from one of self-interest to one of empathy and identification
with an ever-larger share of humanity.
It is common to feel allegiance to one’s family and a close circle of

friends. In addition, in many parts of the world, membership in a clan, a
tribe or a community, is very important. Most people also consider
themselves to be members or citizens of a particular region or nation, often
believing that their country is somehow more important than any other.
Sarkar calls this patriotism or nationalism by the name of geo-sentiment.
Believing one’s own nation to be superior to others is expressed negatively
in the slogan “My country, right or wrong!” and in the prejudice displayed
in anti-foreigner feelings. This sentiment provided an emotional
reinforcement for colonialism and imperialism.
Identifying more with one’s race, religion, class or sex, to the exclusion
of other communities, is known as socio-sentiment.
Both geo-sentiment and socio-sentiment have led to countless tragic

conflicts and wars rooted in hatred that are, in the words of Sarkar, “the
black spot of human character”. Politicians who exploit these sentiments to
gain popularity may become very powerful, but they can lead their entire
community or nation to destruction.
Enlightened education which develops the rational, questioning mind can be

an antidote to these limiting sentiments. When education expands our
identity to include all humanity, so that we feel pain at the suffering of
any group of people on the planet, it can inspire us to commit ourselves to
social justice, service and ecology.
Humanism, accepting all human beings in your circle of allegiance, is

superior. Yet a potential defect of humanism can be that the purpose of life
is often not clear. This can leave the humanist in a spiritual vacuum,
without transcendent values or direction – adrift on a sea of conflicting
ideas. When based on internationalism, as in the case of the United Nations,
its adherents may be plagued with political differences and jealousies, just
as that organization is. The philosophy of humanism may also lead one to
neglect other species, to consider them inferior and exploit them for
profit.
Sarkar’s Neohumanism urges us to overcome this limitation by including all

of life in our definition of what is real and important. Although human
beings are clearly the most evolved species on this planet, our actions and
conduct should demonstrate ever-increasing love and respect toward all
beings and inanimate objects in the universe.
Fromthe Neohumanist perspective, a true society means a group of people

moving together towards universal humanism. P. R. Sarkar often used the
analogy of humanity as a family, or of a group of people travelling on a
pilgrimage, who stop whenever any member of their group is injured or falls
sick. He quoted American poet Carl Sandburg:
There is only one man, and his name is all men.

There is only one woman, and her name is all women.
There is only one child, and its name is all children.

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Wholistic Humanism

Though Prout is a socio-economic theory that offers practical solutions to

Dr. Leonardo Boff is a theologian, professor and author of more than 50

Boff: “The exceptional importance of the Prout system resides in two

The Importance of the Spiritual Dimension:

In June 2003 the Spanish edition of “After Capitalism” was published in

Prout is based on universal spirituality, respecting the mystical search for

The communist view of the human being.

Communism believes in materialism. Marx said that the human being is an

PROUT believes that this definition of the human being is extremely

But according to Sarkar, by the constant adjustment of psychic waves (the

Communist regimes throughout the world have generated intense

The capitalist view of the human being.

Capitalism is not ideologically opposed to spirituality or religious

Prout’s concept of “Cosmic inheritance” expands this traditional spiritual

Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs: a model of humanistic psychology.

These range, in ascending order, from physiological needs, to safety, a

Maslow termed the state above self-actualization as the transpersonal level.

A sentiment is the emotional tendency to identify with things we like --

It is common to feel allegiance to one’s family and a close circle of

Both geo-sentiment and socio-sentiment have led to countless tragic

Enlightened education which develops the rational, questioning mind can be

Humanism, accepting all human beings in your circle of allegiance, is

Sarkar’s Neohumanism urges us to overcome this limitation by including all

Fromthe Neohumanist perspective, a true society means a group of people

There is only one man, and his name is all men.

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