{"id":40,"date":"2013-07-13T01:25:30","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=40"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:25:30","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:25:30","slug":"66-in-the-societys-chambers-vol-03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03\/66-in-the-societys-chambers-vol-03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03","title":{"rendered":"-66_In the Society’s Chambers.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n

In
\nthe Society’s Chambers<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> : Let me assure you, my friends, that the method
\nof enquiry is alone responsible for all the error in the world.
\nMankind is in a hurry to know and prefers to catch at half-truths rather than wait for the full truth to dawn on him. Now
\na half-truth is a few degrees more mischievous than absolute
\nerror. It is the devil himself in the disguise of an angel.<\/p>\n


\nThe Practical Man <\/i> : But surely, Professor, half-truths are
\nthe preparation for whole truths. And mankind must have
\nsomething to go by. We are not all College Professors who can
\nwait comfortably in our studies for Truth to call on us at her
\nleisure. I have got to get to my place of business and, if motor
\ncars have not been invented, I must use bike or tram car.<\/p>\n

Professor <\/i> : There you are, my friend, in possession of a
\nmetaphor and under the delusion that you have got an argument.
\nHalf-truths are the greatest enemies of whole truths. Mankind gets
\nbesotted with the half-truth and when the whole truth happens
\nand it cries, "Here’s this queer-looking idiot and scoundrel who
\nhas not been properly introduced to me, wanting to turn out my
\nhalf-truth whom I know and who has helped me for centuries.
\nOut with the cuckoo! A horse-whip for the bounder!" And out
\ngoes Truth, lucky if she is only expelled, not burned, garrotted,
\nmobbed or censorshipped out of existence, and has to take her
\nnext chance five hundred years later.<\/p>\n

Scientist <\/i> : You are right, Professor. Everything should be
\nproved, nothing admitted.<\/p>\n

Professor <\/i> : Excuse me, Scientist. Your tribe, once champions of
\nprogress, are now the stiffest and blindest opponents
\nof new Truth going. Torquemada was a babe to you.<\/p>\n

Scientist <\/i> : Well, and what about the Mystic here, who wants
\nto go back to Paracelsus and Saint Teresa ?<\/p>\n

Mystic <\/i> : I should say rather, to keep unbroken the most
\nimportant thread in the long and intricately woven cord of evolving knowledge.<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> : My friends, I know nothing about mysticism and<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 464<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

materialism. These are mere words to me. I know Truth only.
\nIf Truth is mystic, I cannot help it. If, on the other hand, Truth
\nturn out to be a rank materialist, a follower of Huxley and Haeckel, who am I
\nto insist on spiritualising her ? Let us have Truth
\nas she is and not insist on creating her in our own image.<\/p>\n

The Practical Man <\/i> : How is that to be done ?<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> : By inquiry, by dispassionate, disinterested, calm,
\njudicious, leisurely inquiry. Let us consider everything, accept
\nonly when acceptance is thoroughly justified, reject only when
\nwe must, and for God’s sake let us not rush violently and enthusiastically to
\npremature conclusions!<\/p>\n


\nThe Practical Man <\/i> (with levity<\/i>) <\/i> : Why not establish a Society
\nfor the dispassionate discussion of everything discussable and
\nthe quiet questioning of everything questionable? It might be
\nstyled briefly S.D.D.D.Q.Q.Q. or, still better S.D3<\/font> Q3, and, I
\nbelieve, it would revolutionise knowledge.<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> : I have always served the Practical Man in spite
\nof his gross and numerous limitations. Why not? Let us at least
\ntry.<\/p>\n


\nScientist <\/i> (doubtfully<\/i>) <\/i> : What would be the conditions of discussion?<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> : Put it like this. <\/b> We agree to consider no question
\nclosed, not even gravitation, nor the motion of the earth,
\nnor the necessity and beneficence of the British Government.<\/p>\n


\nAll <\/i> (in chorus<\/i>) <\/i> : The Press Act, Professor, the Press Act!
\nSection 124A! Section 121! We shall be transported, we shall
\nget forfeited!<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> (reluctantly, but obviously alarmed by the outcry<\/i>) : Well, well, we will reserve the question. There are plenty
\nof others, there are plenty of others. To proceed. If the Mystic
\nadvances sound arguments to show that the devil habitually
\nswallows the moon, even that we shall not lightly declare impossible. What do
\nwe know about the tastes of the devil, supposing
\nhe exists, or the eatability of the moon ? I have never tasted it,
\nnor has the Scientist. The Mystic and the devil may have. <\/p>\n

\nScientist <\/i> (uneasily<\/i>) <\/i> : Confound it, Professor!<\/p>\n

\nProfessor <\/i> : No, I insist. Absolute tolerance, absolute openness of mind are essential to the success of the experiment. Who-<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 465<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\never interrupts, whoever refuses to discuss an argument, whoever
\ncontradicts or says, Absurd! whoever substitutes assertion for
\nreasoning, whoever loses his temper or allows his voice to rise to
\na higher key, whoever tries to make out that he has conquered
\nin debate because he has appealed to a polysyllable such as hallucination,
\ncoincidence, subconscious cerebration, whoever questions authority for his
\nopinion, will be instantly called to order
\nby the Chairman and, if he repeats the offence, condemned to
\nsilence for the evening.<\/p>\n


\nAll are silent and gaze awe-struck at the Professor<\/i>.<\/p>\n


\nThe Practical Man <\/i> : Hang it, Professor! Where will be the
\nfun ? I quite looked forward to the Scientist throwing chemicals at the Mystic
\nand immediately withering into something infrahuman under the onslaught of the Mystic’s mohanam<\/i>, stambhanam<\/i> and māraṇ<\/span>am<\/i>. Don’t interfere with
\nhuman nature.<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> : We will provide the fun, but let it be human,
\ncivilised fun. We must curb the excess of our original semi-ancestors in our humour.<\/p>\n


\nMystic <\/i> : You can’t, Professor, and we shouldn’t. It is a perpetual
\nand valuable part of Ananda, the joy of existence.<\/p>\n


\nScientist <\/i> : It can’t work. We are not gods or angels.<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> : There you go making assumptions ! How do you
\nknow we are not ? Let us at least make the experiment. Obviously,
\nwith only the four of us, the circle will be incomplete. We
\nmust have other human specimens. A Jurist now, a Priest, a
\nHistorian, a Sanscritist, a Doctor, an Attorney, and a few others
\nthat may occur to me. I know where all these reasoning animals
\nare to be found. Then, a live Extremist would be an acquisition.
\nI know one. He is amiable, pleasing and warranted not to bite,
\nthough his views are fiery and his language, when excited, apt to
\nbe sulphurous.<\/p>\n


\nThe Practical Man <\/i> : No use for him, if we are <\/b> not to question
\nthe beneficence of the British Government.<\/p>\n

Professor <\/b><\/i> : He will complete us. <\/b> We must be a
\nrepresentative society. Besides, Extremism, I understand, <\/b>
\nhas its
\npositive
\naspects.<\/p>\n


\nScientist <\/i> : Will it be safe?<\/p>\n


\nProfessor <\/i> (coldly, haughtily and severely<\/i>) : We are not cow-<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 466<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nards. <\/i> (more mildly<\/i>) I can guarantee that, though he talks sometimes like a bomb, he never made one. It is agreed, gentlemen.
\n(rising enthusiastically<\/i>) Today creates an epoch in the history of
\nmankind; Truth lays the foundation-stone of her final temple.<\/p>\n


\nMystic <\/i> : Professor, Professor, for God’s sake, let us not
\nrush violently and enthusiastically to premature conclusions!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 467<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Society’s Chambers   Professor : Let me assure you, my friends, that the method of enquiry is alone responsible for all the error…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-03-the-harmony-of-virtue-volume-03","wpcat-4-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}