Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
15 February 2018
Birth of Logic
“Gross and Subtle”
A man or woman believes that he or she can reach a conclusion by applying logic. A man or woman further believes that by applying logic they can defend their conclusions.
The enlightened have, however, indicated that man or woman is not a doer, speaker or thinker. They have declared that doing, thinking and speaking happen to man or woman. But man and woman believe that they can think of logic for doing anything, speaking anything or think anything and also for anything that others do, speak and think.
So what is the understanding of the enlightened that man and woman are not the speaker or the thinker of logic, though speaking and thinking logically happen? So how could this be understood by both man and woman is the question?
Now everything in life is in movement, because life moves spontaneously, uncontrollably and unpredictably every moment. This signifies that any movement in life is spontaneous, uncontrollable and unpredictable. Man or woman, however, does not bring this movement about, because they do not make any moment in life.
If man and woman were able to make a moment in life, they would be able to apply logic to reach a conclusion in that moment. For the same reason, man and woman would be able to make thinking happen as well, if they were able to make a moment.
Thinking is a movement of function in intellect, which is spontaneous, uncontrollable and unpredictable and thinking happens in the moment. Neither man nor woman makes thinking happen.
As evolution evolved thinking, it evolved logic to conclude in the movement of thinking by the intellect. It is evident that man and woman, only by thinking, can apply logic to conclude.
Logic evolved after evolution had evolved the function of reason in the human mind. As reason evolved in humans, logic evolved as well to conclude what reason was implying, for example, the logic for the reason of a primitive container.
By reason primitive man and woman understood that a container can be used to collect water to drink. After collecting water in the container, evolution made primitive man observe that water spilled if his hands were not steady.
The moment reason happened to primitive man and woman that a container can be used for collecting water, a conclusion, by logic, that water would spill over if hands were not steady, evolved later as well. This was the birth of subtle logic in humans.
Similarly, the moment speaking happened to primitive man and woman that a container can be used for collecting water, a conclusion, by logic, that water would spill over if hands were not steady, evolved as well. This was the birth of gross logic in humans.
The phenomenon of reason and logic is observed in a modern child. The child, by reason, places a square block of wood over and concludes instinctively that a round block cannot be placed over the square block.
Therefore, birth of subtle or gross logic is a function of intellect in the movement of evolution. Logic is a function in the movement of intellect and neither man nor woman makes logic happen.
The enlightened have rightly proclaimed that man is not the doer, speaker or thinker.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2018
Editor’s Note:
The beauteousness of evolution, as presented here, and the play with which it may delight each one of us in our daily lives bring tears of gratitude. No less does the child, who simply plays. Yet, the child’s play exquisitely expresses life’s own spontaneous, uncontrollable and unpredictable essence as its own. We are deeply grateful to the wise for their entire care as we continue on our journey.
Julian Capper, UK.
German Translator’s Note:
In the course of evolution no modern child escapes the birth of logic in the mind. And sharp logic is praised in the child by parents and teachers. Logic wins arguments. Logic helps the ego to present its intellect. All of that is just superficial logic, because logic in daily life and even in science and philosophy is not used deep enough as long as it is not understood as yet, how illusory logic in life really is! Dr. Shankar applies deep logic to show the roots of logic in the human mind in this wisdom revealing article.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.