Context: 25th September marked 108th birth anniversary of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay. In this context, let us understand the philosophy of Integral humanism given by him.
Integral Humanism:
Background:
- The doctrine of Integral Humanism was born from Upadhyaya’s desire to have “uniquely Indian” ideas guide the journey of the newly independent nation, as opposed to the many Western ‘isms’ like individualism, communism and socialism which developed in West.
- He explained that Bharatiya (Indian) thought views life as a unified whole, with the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions closely intertwined. In contrast, the Western approach often isolates and compartmentalizes aspects of life.
Integral Humanism focuses on the holistic development of society and the individual, encompassing both material and spiritual well-being. It integrates the traditional Indian concepts of dharma (duty), artha (wealth), kama (desires), and moksha (spiritual liberation).
Key features:
- ‘Integral Humanism’ presents ‘Indigenous socio-economic model’ in which human being remains at the center of development.
- The aim of Integral Humanism is to ensure dignified life for every human being while balancing the needs of individual and society.
- It supports sustainable consumption of natural resource can be replenished integral humanism enhance not only political but also economic and social democracy and freedom.
- As it seeks to promote diversity it is best suited for a country as diverse as India.
- The philosophy of integral humanism is based on the following three principles.
- Primary of whole, no part
- Supremacy of Dharma
- Autonomy of society