Freedom And Transcendence

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

The divergence of disciplines and their utter failure to converge to a spire of wisdom from where man can contemplate the world, himself and the destiny of both, and the aggressive denial of all values by a reductionism scientism have contributed to the steady diminishment of man and brought him to the brink of annihilation in nuclear holocaust or ecological attrition. Formidable as the task is, if man and his values are to survive, there is no other option but to attempt a concept-by-concept reconstruction of the foundations of certitude, This is what Krishna Chaitanya has attempted in his pent logy on the philosophy of freedom.

In the Physics and Chemistry of Freedom, he showed that self determination is an intrinsic property of matter even at the particle level, by revealing the implications of quantum physics. The Biology of Freedom revealed the enhancement of the capacity for self-determination. The Psychology of Freedom answered the creeds that deny the mind, or reduce it to mechanism, or regard it as a mask worn by the irrational. The Sociology of Freedom examined the conditions for the fulfilment of freedom and the realization of values in group living.

And now, in Freedom and Transcendence. Krishna Chaitanya explores the intimations from the beginnings of things, of the empirical world, of history, which may be relevant for man's self-fulfilment in history. The threads of reconstructive reasoning from all the previous volumes are gathered up here to weave a net of meaning which can capture an insight that may yet redeem a fast disintegrating world.

About the Author:

Described by national periodicals as "one of the most original and stimulating minds writing in the subcontinent today" and as "our nearest approximation to the Renaissance man, versatile in interests and depth of learning," Krishna Chaitanya (b.1918 in Kerala) is the author of over thirty books, the major categories being: a ten volume history of world literature in English and several Indian languages; Sanskrit classics retold for children; and a five volume philosophy of freedom of which this is the concluding volume. In 1964 he was given a special award by the Kerala Sahitya Academy, and was invited as a "Critic of ideas" by the institute of international Education, New York, for a six months' tour of the United States. His book got the Federation of Indian Publishers' Award for the best Children's book published during the International Year of the Child. As Vice-President, Chairman or member of functional committees, he has been associated with many organizations like the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, the Camera Society of India, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, India International Center, National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art, Sangeet Natak Academy, Authors Guild of India. His philosophy of freedom has been compared by critics to the work of Thomas Aquinas, Herbert Spencer, Bergson, Teilhard de Chardin and whitehead. For the final volume, the present work, he was given a Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship.