Assagioli argues that there are many forms of “new” that are present in various aspects of life, including education, morality, religion, science, art, and psychology.
By Roberto Assagioli. (Doc. #23697, 23698, 23699 – Assagioli Archives-Florence)[i]. Original Title: Che Cosa Significa “Nuovo?”. Translated and Edited With Notes by Jan Kuniholm
Abstract: The word “new” has multiple meanings and uses. It can refer to experiencing something for oneself, expressing ideas in a new way, adapting or renewing existing forms, emphasizing different aspects of something, applying known principles in new ways, creating new combinations or procedures, or introducing something completely original. These different forms of “new” are present in various aspects of life, including education, morality, religion, science, art, and psychology. It is important to recognize and understand these different meanings of “new” in order to fully grasp its significance in the New Age.
The word “new” has a wide range of meanings and is used in various ways. We need to differentiate them, understand them clearly and use them exactly.
“New” can be, and is, used to mean eight different things:
1) Experiencing again, individually, something well known to others. It could be called the “existential new.” There is an essential difference between information or intellectual knowledge of something experienced by others, and experiencing something for oneself for the first time. A clear example is the difference between hearing or reading about love, and falling in love for the first time. In this existential sense every experience is new and unique. In the case of love, it can be said that every subsequent “love” is new and different, since the individual has become different, and the object of his feelings is also different. The recognition of the value and even the necessity of such experiencing again has prompted the adoption of new methods in modern education.
2) New forms and new symbols to express a previously expressed idea, principle, or value in a new guise. This is a very important point, since many do not distinguish between the idea and its expression, between truth and its presentation, between a value and the rules of its realization. The inability to make such discrimination can have very harmful consequences. Often the rejection of a certain form or expression leads to the repudiation of the eternal idea and the eternal principle behind it. A clear example of this is what has happened with morality. The rejection of the narrow, fanatical, and often inhuman and hypocritical rules, taboos, and condemnations that are proclaimed in the name of morality aroused a rebellion and emotion that went so far as to deny the validity of any moral principle and any ethical value. To use a popular English expression, it is the mistake of throwing the baby out with the bath water!
This lack of discrimination can be regarded as a form of materialism; that is, inability to recognize a truth or principle independently of a particular form, or any form. And since such recognition requires the use of the abstract mind or intuition, it is difficult to achieve. Let us therefore always try to recognize one and the same idea that is behind, or within, the various formulations in which it has been presented in different ages, by different schools of thought, or creeds. This will enable us to recognize it when it is presented to us in a new form, and also to give it a new expression, a new guise more in keeping with new conditions and a new mentality. This corresponds to a higher level, knowledge and use of different languages, and can be called mental and spiritual polyglotism.
3) A less drastic and complete type of novelty is that of a more or less complete change of existing forms, their adaptation or renewal. This is the true constructive meaning of “re-form.” It is a broad process that is always going on, for example, in our bodies, in the evolution of languages, and in many other fields.
4) A new emphasis or importance given to a specific quality or aspect, contained in something that is fundamentally the same in its entirety. Such a case can be found in the religious field. All major religions embrace or proclaim the same basic principles and values: light (enlightenment, truth, wisdom) and love, but with different emphasis.
Consider, for example, Buddhism and Christianity. It has been pointed out that in Buddhism (contrary to current opinion) the quality of love and brotherhood is not lacking, and is predominantly expressed as compassion and harmlessness (ahimsa). It is well known that the Buddha, after attaining enlightenment and liberation from rebirth (nirvana) at the age of 30, chose to remain in the world, and for more than 50 years traveled across India teaching the Four Noble Truths and instructing disciples and monks, moved by a deep compassion for human blindness and suffering. On the other hand, it has been rightly said that Christ in no way set aside wisdom. His parables in fact are full of it, and no doubt He poured out the greatest treasures of wisdom in His teachings to His disciples. Yet after such a complete admission, one cannot help but confirm that the Buddha placed more emphasis on enlightenment and wisdom, and that the Christ placed emphasis primarily on Love. Such differences in emphasis gave rise to different doctrines, different forms and modes of religious life, [which are] therefore “new” in a sense, compared with each other and with other religious presentations.
5) New applications of a principle or law that is already known. This happens all the time, especially today, in science and technical inventions. For example, all new means of air transportation are due to new discoveries in the sciences of aerodynamics and metallurgy that have enabled a wider use of the law of gravity, and new applications of it.
6) New combinations of existing elements to produce new substances. They provide us with the innumerable new products of modern chemistry: from detergents to more elaborate pharmaceuticals, plastics, etc.
7) New procedures and techniques for producing the same goods, or energy, in more practical and economical ways. This is implemented through industrial procedures for the production of electricity, electric currents, etc. A current example is the construction and use of the transistor.
8) What is new in an intrinsic and complete sense. This is the appearance of something original, which never existed and sometimes [seems] opposite to what exists. This occurs in nature and in human activities. In nature it has been called “emergent evolution” and is manifested in biological “mutations,” in the appearance of new plant and animal species. In humanity it is the result of creative activities that give rise to new styles in art, new literary productions, new discoveries, new theories and “models” in science.
A most notable example is Einstein’s theories of relativity;[ii] another that is less well known, but also important and expected to have revolutionary effects, is the discovery and mathematical demonstration of the law of “syntropy” (opposite to the law of entropy) made by the mathematician Fantappié.[iii] The same principle of synthesis was applied to the biological, social and spiritual evolution of humanity by Teilhard de Chardin,[iv] and to psychology and its medical, educational, social, etc., applications by psychosynthesis.[v]
All these types of new are present and active in the manifestation of the New Age, and it will be good to keep them in mind and recognize them when they operate. Notes:
[i] The author made some hand-written corrections to this manuscript in Doc. #23698, however this translator has been unable to decipher them; therefore we follow Doc. #23697. —Tr.
[ii] The special and general theories of relativity (1905 and 1915) developed by German-born physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) seemed at first to contradict many of the classical theories of physics and common sense. —Ed.
[iii] Luigi Fantappiè (1901-1956) was an Italian mathematician. In 1941 he discovered that negative entropy has qualities that are associated with life: The cause of processes driven by negative energy lies in the future, exactly such as living beings work for a better day tomorrow. A process that is driven by negative entropy will increase order with time, such as all forms of life tend to do. This was a very controversial view at the time and not at all accepted by his colleagues. His findings indicate that negative entropy is associated with life in the same way as consciousness is. Consciousness could be a process based on negative entropy. In 1942 he put forth a unified theory of physics and biology, and the syntropy concept. —Ed.
[iv] Pierre Tielhard de Chardin (1881-1955) was a French Jesuit priest, scientist, paleontologist, theologian, and philosopher. Among his best-known works is The Phenomenon of Man (1959). —Ed.
[v] by the author himself. —Ed.
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