The duty to revise theory when it contradicts newly discovered facts
The materials published on our website are based on reflections about that part of the past within us which we have managed to comprehend. Since our research is ongoing, we are obliged to make changes — even radical ones — should our conclusions prove inconsistent with new facts discovered in the course of further study. At the same time, the fundamental principles that guide us will remain unchanged.
The most noble pursuit of a rational being is the search for truth. And the search for truth is, in essence, the search for unity
Examples of such a search for unity include:
– in psychology — Carl Gustav Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious;
– in physics — the Grand Unified Theory, which seeks to unite all existing types of interactions and matter into a single structure;
– in paleogenetics — the confirmation of the hypothesis that all modern humans share a single common ancestor;
– in linguistics — the idea that all languages of the world descend from one proto-language;
– in history — the recognition of life’s inseparable link with its eternal source — “always.”
— Do you believe in God?
— I don’t believe. I know.
John Freeman, Face to Face with Carl Gustav Jung
The greatest value lies in similarity, not in difference
The true value of world cultures, languages, and traditions lies not in their differences, but in their similarity. Only by realizing and accepting this can we achieve the long-awaited peace — and ultimately, the final victory of good over evil. The victory of good over evil is not the defeat of an external enemy, but of one’s own egoism — for it is egoism that gives rise to all division.
“Spiritual” means that which is eternal and never disappears from the universe.
“Material” is what fades away once corrected.
— Michael Laitman, “Attaining the Upper Worlds”
The desire to value a culture from the standpoint of its uniqueness, on the contrary, becomes the source of interethnic hostility — of wars and tragedies fought “in defense” of such uniqueness, often forced upon others. True objectivity in judgment can only be achieved through adherence to this fundamental principle of unity.
“God has no religion.”
“If you want to change the world, begin with yourself.”
Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi
People differ only in their proximity to or remoteness from the truth. Complete and conscious remoteness from the truth means irreversible loss of the defining trait of Homo sapiens — turning into a qualitatively different kind of living being.
People differ only in their proximity to or remoteness from truth. Remoteness from truth means proximity to barbarism. Barbarians are those who see evil and wrong not within themselves, but outside. All barbarians share not ethnic or cultural traits, but this very attitude toward life.
And, of course, all barbarians speak a common tongue — the language of barbarism.
“All men are equal, like the teeth of a comb.” — Prophet Muhammad
Language is first and foremost a tool of thought — and therefore, the foundation of human culture. We think, therefore we exist. And we think with language.
As René Descartes said: “I think, therefore I am.” Thus, thinking and language are inseparable. It is thinking that makes us human. Since we think with words, by tracing the origins of the words that shape the language through which we think — and therefore exist — we can also approach the answer to the question of what existence itself means, and why we live.
I think, therefore I am.
René Descartes
Culture unites us, not genes. There is no connection between genes, culture, and language.
The attempt to explain the culture or history of a people through their genetic background has nothing to do with science.
We all share a single gene — the gene of Homo sapiens. Therefore, the history of any nation or country is an inseparable part of the common path of all humankind, for we all share one common ancestor. We continue to speak and think in the language of our ancient ancestors — the human language. We do not speak different languages, but dialects of the same universal human tongue.
“We think not with genes, but with language.”
Lennart Meri
“When I visit the Acropolis in Greece, I feel my roots there — the birthplace of our democracy, much of our culture and architecture. Yet I know for certain that my genes have never been to Greece.”
Svante Pääbo
We are made of the past — therefore history is the queen of sciences.
History is the science of the past — the science of life.
The past lives within us; we are made of it, and are therefore obliged to understand who we are.
“We are not of today or yesterday We are of an immense age”
Carl Gustav Jung
“The past of a man is what he is now. It is the only thing by which he should be judged.”
— Oscar Wilde
“From the past we understand the future; from the clear, we comprehend the hidden.”
— Mozi
Constancy and change
“What dazzles, for the Moment spends its spirit:
What’s genuine, shall Posterity inherit.”
Goethe, “Faust”
The statement that “everything changes” is fundamentally wrong. Only the superficial changes, the essence remains the same. If the essence of Homo sapiens were to change, humanity itself would disappear as a species. A human remains human only as long as they strive to know themselves and the world. Knowledge remains knowledge only as long as it stays connected to its purpose.
As Socrates says in Plato’s Cratylus:
“One cannot speak of knowledge if all things are in flux and nothing remains the same.
For knowledge itself, if it ceases to be what it is, will no longer be knowledge but something else. If it is in eternal change, it is eternal ignorance.”
One cannot speak of knowledge if all things are in flux and nothing remains the same.
Plato
The spiritual dimension — the measure of humanity
With the advent of Homo sapiens, this world was complemented by a spiritual dimension. The human body is material, but within us lies something immaterial — spiritual elements that cannot be placed on the periodic table: justice, conscience, respect, sincerity, righteousness. We distinguish between beauty and ugliness, between good and evil — yet none of these qualities exist in pure form in earth, water, or air. They are immaterial — and yet they are the very foundation of human culture.
Knowledge detached from the principles of beauty and humanity is inconceivable.
Progress in knowledge depends on the true intentions of the seeker.
A person whose goals lie beyond the purpose of knowledge itself cannot be called a scholar.
Truth is beautiful, and beauty is true.
John Keats
The mystery of existence
Knowledge is necessary for understanding, but knowing for the sake of knowing has nothing to do with true cognition. We must strive to understand what we know — and if we make this our ultimate purpose, understanding will follow.
“How much we know, and how little we understand.”
Albert Einstein
Yet since we cannot know — much less understand — everything, this world will always remain a mystery.
“What we know is limited; what we do not know is infinite.”
Pierre-Simon Laplace
“It is very important that we preserve the feeling of mystery and of the unknown.
A human must feel that he lives in a world still full of secrets — that there will always be things that remain unexplained. The unexpected and the improbable belong to this world; without them, life would not be perfect.”
Carl Gustav Jung
