Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) · 149 of 225 · tr. Nicholas Bessaraboff and Claude Bragdon
Chapter XVIII (part 12)
The method of science is experiment; the method of philosophy is speculation; the method of religion and art is moral or esthetic emotional inspiration.
But both science and philosophy, religion and art, begin to serve true knowledge only when in them commence to manifest the sensing and finding of some inner property in things.
In general it is quite possible to say—and perhaps it will be most true to fact—that the aim of even purely intellectual systems of philosophy and science consists not at all in the giving to man of certain data of knowledge, but in the raising of man to such a height of thinking and feeling as to enable him to pass to those new and higher forms of knowledge to which art and religion approach more nearly.
It is necessary however to remember that these very divisions into science, philosophy, religion and art betray the poverty and incompleteness of each.
A complete religion unites in itself religion, art, philosophy and science; a complete art equally unites them, while a complete science or a complete philosophy comprehends religion and art.
A religion which contradicts science, and a science which contradicts religion are both equally false.
Footnotes 214:1 Al-Ghazzali, "The Alchemy of Happiness." 222:1 C.
H.
Hinton, "A New Era of Thought," pp.
77, 78.
Themes
◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
[auto] True knowledge is described as arising from sensing and finding inner properties rather than receiving external data or speculation.
All passages →◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology
The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.
[auto] The passage declares that contradictions between religion and science are false, suggesting a higher unity transcends such binary oppositions.
All passages →◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis
A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.
[auto] The text describes the aim of intellectual systems as raising man to a higher height of thinking and feeling to access new forms of knowledge.
All passages →◇Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
[auto] The passage argues that separate disciplines are incomplete and that a complete system unites science, philosophy, religion, and art, implying a fundamental unity of truth.
All passages →Related passages · 7 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 5, Section 1h
“is attacking the irreligious attitude in science, philosophy, and life.
We must seek for all things (including our own personalities) not in themselves but in God.
The great defect of Natural Science in the nineteenth century was its fail…”
Both passages emphasize the interconnectedness of different domains of human knowledge and experience, such as science, philosophy, religion, and art. They argue for a unified approach to understanding reality, where these domains are not in contradiction but rather complement each other.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 12 (part 8)
“Explanation .--This Symbol signifies that it is not proper to divulse the union and consent of the universe.
And still further it signifies this, Be not envious, but philanthropic and communicative; and from this it exhorts us to philosoph…”
Both passages emphasize the integration of different forms of knowledge and the importance of philosophy in achieving higher understanding. They both advocate for a holistic approach to knowledge that includes science, philosophy, and religion.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 12 (part 9)
“Honour a figure and a step before a figure and a tribolus.
Explanation .--The exhortation of this Symbol is as follows: Philosophize and diligently betake yourself to disciplines, and through these, as through steps, proceed to the thing p…”
Both passages emphasize the integration of different disciplines (science, philosophy, religion, art) and the importance of higher forms of knowledge and understanding. They both advocate for a holistic approach to truth and wisdom, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 31
“Section 5 5. But whence does this science derive its own initial laws? The Intellectual-Principle furnishes standards, the most certain for any soul that is able to apply them. What else is necessary, Dialectic puts together for itself, com…”
Both passages discuss the integration of different disciplines (science, philosophy, religion, art) and the importance of higher forms of knowledge. They emphasize the unity and interdependence of these disciplines in achieving true understanding.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 279
“Section 2 2.... For in any one science the reduction of the total of knowledge into its separate propositions does not shatter its unity, chipping it into unrelated fragments; in each distinct item is talent the entire body of the science,…”
Both passages emphasize the unity and interconnectedness of different aspects of human knowledge and existence. They highlight the importance of integrating various disciplines and principles to achieve a higher understanding or spiritual state.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 558
“Section 20 20. We may thus distinguish two phases of Intellect, in one of which it may be taken as having no contact whatever with particulars and no Act upon anything; thus it is kept apart from being a particular intellect. In the same wa…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of different forms of knowledge and the limitations of their divisions. They emphasize the unity and potentiality of higher forms of understanding that encompass various disciplines.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 566
“Section 5 5. These are incontrovertible facts in regard to the pseudo-substance of the Sensible realm: if they apply also in some degree to the True Substance of the Intellectual, the coincidence is, doubtless, to be attributed to analogy a…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness and unity of different forms of knowledge and intellectual pursuits. They emphasize that complete understanding or intellect encompasses and unites various disciplines, such as science, philosophy, religion, and art.