Evolution And Naturalism In Devatma

Naturalism of Devatma attempts to integrate the physical world and the self-consciousness world, keeping their distinctive features intact. This is obtained through its theory of evolution which has the following characteristics.

1.  New qualities emerge themselves which exhibit new laws of behaviour. So evolution is not merely change but it incorporates in itself an overhauling pertaining to novel qualities and behaviour.  There cannot be evolution in the process of home coming.

For naturalism of the inanimate world is fundamental to all existences. The primary substance of the universe is matter, and physical force. The existence of the higher levels lies in the existence of the matter-force.

2.  The evolved levels of consciousness carry with them the defining characteristics of its origin.  So to say LIFE has evolved certain chemical and physical conditions.  Therefore a living body is analysable into chemical constituents. This shows the pattern of carrying of defining characteristics constituents of the earlier levels of existence.

The direction of the evolution is complicated embodied existences. Man, a multi-cellular organism  is more embodied than amoebae. This fashioning of characters puts human soul in no disembodied existence either in present or in its future.

With these embodied entities, subject to evolution, we can define the knowledge spheres.  Its simple implication is that if there is no knowledge about God or Brahma or disembodied souls, there cannot be either existence in the perceptible or so for imperceptible thought universe. But knowledge-imparting cognitive powers are not excusive but inclusive for understanding of the universe. The highest cognitive powers yet need the lowest cognitive powers for arriving at theory and verification thereof.

The evolutionary ethics of Devatma does not reject the other-worldly ethics only. It also rejects such forms of Naturalism which advocate satisfaction of our biological urges like animals. For this lower world of animals the survival of the fittest rules applies itself to eliminate the weak. An animal does not require any justification for its deeds given to the basic idea of being an animal only, and has not evolved itself as man.   MAN has, as per the law of evolution, accumulated its social character and therefore cannot seek shelter by comparing himself with animals for its behavioural lowering to the extent of animals.  This will be ignoring the laws of evolution.

The ethics of Devatma rejects the idealist ethics materialisms of getting haphazard satisfaction from biological urges. All needs have a space in true ethics and religion. But these needs must be so evolved that they contribute to the good of the individual and society.

A need is sinful only if it harms the independent existences of others.  The ethics is the requirement of a religious life.The true religious genius is the sublimation of biological urges and inter-personal and infra-personal relationships on the basis of truth and goodness.

Devatma, the father of Dev Dharma represents a type of religious genius.  Aesthetics exhibitsitself in his eating, neat living and pat wearing. And a beautiful married life: developing virtues of purity and loyalty for the partner recognising the truth of the multiplicity of relationships.  All duties done:  a son, a student, a brother, a husband, and a member of his community, country and mankind alike.  Then service to mankind for his religious life. Animal, and plants and inanimate objects all fall in line for getting their due from Devatma.  All business inspired by goodness for himself and for others. This life of comprehensive values is based upon the second characteristic of evolution which Devatma offers as an ideal religious genius. This may be the ‘the way, the truth and the life’ for the whole mankind.

3. Evolution, according to Devatma, is not directed by a single value of survival. Darwin interprets the facts of evolution in purely biological terms i.e., chance variations occur in species. Those variations in a species which are helpful for adjustment with physical environments persist in course of time and give rise to new species.  The new species is the fittest but not the best. There is one value which explains the rise and persistence of species, i.e., the capacity to meet the challenge of physical environments. This is too limited an interpretation of the facts of evolution. It will not explain the evolution of man. It is true that man has capacity of survival. But we find that man has capacity to discover truth, and appreciate beauty.

Man could have survived even if he had not evolved these higher capacities of cognition and conduct. Why should evolution give rise to a species which shows some capacity for truth, goodness and beauty? Evolutionary process shows direction towards bringing forth species with increasing capacity for understanding and learning, leading to man with capacities for values of truth, goodness and beauty, besides the value of survival. In fact, the generation sweep of evolution indicates that those species have a future which does not harm others.  Such animal species have greater chance to survive which do not harm to other species but help other species. Goodness is a condition for survival. There is no conflict between survival and goodness.

Therefore, the evolutionary process is the process of survival of species or groups which contribute to goodness, truth and beauty. Evolutionary ethics circumscribes the satisfactions of human desires within the bounds of truth, goodness and beauty. Man is to bring beauty and grace in all his thought and behaviour. Truth, goodness, and beauty are conducive to the survival of the human person and human group.

4.  Evolution is not by a single method.  Evolution up to the rise of man has followed the biological method. For any new characteristic to rise, new species are to emerge.  This was the process of rise of new species.

The evolution in human species is socio-cultural. What was once possible through rise of the new species is realisable through rise of a new man of genius in human society, who educates the rest of the species into a new mode of life. Through language and group life, treasures of knowledge, ethics, and aesthetics are accumulated and preserved for future generations. What mankind gained in knowledge and conduct in thousands of years, is acquired by the younger generation in twenty years.The scientific mode of thinking is a social inheritance for every child in modern schools. Mankind is acquiring new mode of scientific thinking, is turning into new species apart from the superstitious mind of the primitive man of the forest and the cave. Every master genius helps mankind to rise to a new level of behaviour and that we defined to be evolution. These characteristics of the process of the evolution have great bearing on the future of mankind on earth. It is clear that evolution is not purely biological in character. It is multi-valuational. Further, evolution is not only through genes but through education too.

Devatma holds that just as evolutionary process has thrown up men of genius to invent scientific method and discover the truths in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology and social sciences; it has given rise to a unique religious genius in his person with new psychology to further man’s evolution in feelings and conduct. Man at his best is altruistic and we do find that different religious founders have been endowed with some altruistic virtues like non-violence, compassion, benevolence, justice, brotherhood, disinterested service and through these virtues they have helped mankind to build civilized life as we know it today.

But altruistic virtues are limited in their vision and conduct. So they could carry the civilizing activity of man only to a limited extent.  An altruistic virtue does not cover the whole of the psychology of man. Because each virtue cannot see beyond its own value that it pursues. Secondly, each virtue makes us partial to its own good and hence life of virtue, too, may deviate us into untruth and evil.

To remove and reduce the reign of evil and untruth in social life, it was not sufficient to have a religious leader with altruistic virtues. So the process of evolution has evolved a genius with supra-altruistic character, whose virtues are not under the bewitchment of pleasure principle and hence are not vitiated by untruthful disposition but are under the principle of truth and goodness, and hence are free from partiality and prejudice, and whose vision is wide awake to the total field of values. Such a religious genius can help mankind to see the ugliness of vice, create desire to abjure it and give strength to get rid of it who is complete lover of truth and goodness as well as complete hater of untruth andevil which evolved in Devatma.

Therefore Devatma claims that he is the moral and religious genius thrown up by evolution to fashion a moral and spiritual culture as scientific geniuses have established scientific culture.

The evolution of mankind into a new level of mentality and conduct manifested by the new geniuses brings in the need of social institutions of education and religion. The function of social institutions is to further man’s evolution. In this task Dev Dharma is fashioning a new species of human beings.