As We Learn
Something, We Become
Aware of the
Infinite Dimension of Nature
Farias Brito
Man has a
spontaneous and natural tendency towards knowledge. One can even say that this
trend is his own destiny, or at least his highest destiny.
Thus, as soon as intelligence starts to develop in
man, his curiosity begins to manifest. The child makes a continuous effort to
understand the meaning of the words and the reasons and motives behind facts
and things. And if such a [human]
curiosity expresses itself in some exceptional cases in an intense and deep
way, it soon becomes a passion, and forces everyone who is dominated by this
passion to think all the time, to make constant, unlimited efforts to interpret
the meaning of reality. To this we give the name of passion for knowledge, or
philosophy. And this is really the specific quality of the philosopher: he
wants to understand and explain everything.
In his anxiety for finding the truth in all things,
and above all for understanding the occult meaning of existence, he will never
think he has learned enough. He never considers his work as something complete.
He is always interrogating the unknown. He works around the clock, making a
constant effort to satisfy the curiosity that devours him as an unquenchable
thirst. From this endeavour, science results. Thus it becomes easy to attain an
accurate concept of philosophy, looking at it in its relation to the concept of
science.
Philosophy is Spirit itself as it investigates the unknown.
It is the very Spirit looking for the true meaning of reality and trying to
elaborate its knowledge. And the knowledge that is produced is what one calls
“science”. In other words, philosophy is the knowledge in fieri, or the knowledge that is being made; science is the
knowledge after it was produced, the organized or systematized knowledge.
On this topic, I explained my viewpoint in a precise
way in the book on Philosophy as
Permanent Activity of Human Spirit [1]:
“Nature is the great, endless problem which human
spirit must solve. Our ignorance is like a long veil hiding it. Since we know
next to nothing about reality, everything has the appearance of a mystery. And,
as we lift a corner of the veil and obtain the first glimpses of reality, Nature
turns out to be so great and wonderfully rich and complex that the mystery
seems to get ever deeper. The words of Socrates are well-known: ‘I only know
that I know nothing’. And this means that into the extension that we learn
something, we become aware of the infinite dimension of Nature.”
NOTE:
[1] “Filosofia Como Atividade Permanente do Espírito”.
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The above article is
translated from the book “Inéditos
e Dispersos” (“Unpublished and Scattered Texts”), by Brazilian
philosopher Farias
Brito (1862-1917), Editorial Grijalbo, São Paulo, 1966, 550
pp., see pp. 410-411. It is also published at the September 2016 edition of “The
Aquarian Theosophist”, pp. 10-11. Translation: Carlos
Cardoso Aveline.
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On 14 September 2016, after examining the state of the
esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students decided to found the Independent Lodge of Theosophists. Two
of the priorities adopted by the ILT
are learning from the past and building a better future.
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