A Brief Introduction to PROUT, Progressive Utilization

During the 20th Century, Marxism and capitalism were the contending economic theories and the world was almost engulfed by a Third World War due to the struggles between them.   

Yet, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the other communist bloc governments laid the way for the triumph of capitalism.  Today, however, half of the world’s population lives on two dollars a day or less, and the developed countries are in an economic recession reminiscent of the Great Depression of the 1930s.  Once again, people are asking, “Is there an alternative to capitalism?”

In 1959, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, an Indian philosopher and historian, answered this question when he presented the Progressive Utilization Theory (known by the acronym, PROUT).  PROUT is an economic theory addressing the defects of both capitalism and Marxism, offering the promise of a new economic order in which the world’s resources are distributed in an equitable and rational manner, anchored in homeostasis of society en whole.

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We can understand PROUT by looking at six essential features of this new progressively designed socio-economic system:

1. Spirituality:  Both capitalism and Marxism are materialist philosophies with a worldview that gives little (in the case of capitalism) or no importance to spirituality.  PROUT, on the other hand, is founded on a spiritual outlook -- of the Universe as a singularity and all life as a diversity of its experiential expression.  According to Sarkar, the material world is but an expression of consciousness and humans are stewards rather than ultimate owners of any physical wealth.  The goal of society is to provide a base from which humans can expand their full mental, physical and spiritual possibilities.  This spiritual basis of PROUT has important implications for the management of physical resources, for the development of human resources and for the establishment of proper governance.

Adopting such an inclusive worldview envisioned by Sarkar, our relationship with the environment will change.  Similarly, when we regard other beings as manifestations of that one Consciousness, our relationships with each other will change. When such a transpersonal worldview permeates our whole society, we will derive the kind of service-minded and selfless government that is currently lacking in the world today.

2. A “Floor and a Ceiling”:  Welfare economists have always emphasized that the minimum necessities of life should be provided for everyone in a properly structured society.  Efforts to make a minimum wage or to provide various kinds of welfare systems to help impoverished people are all part of such concerns.

P R Sarkar agreed with some aspects of welfare economics, stating that the minimum necessities of life should be guaranteed to all members of society.  However, he recognised that if society would just give people a check at the end of the month, with their required income, then this would only encourage laziness.  According to Sarkar, the best arrangement is that society should provide people with the purchasing power to procure the minimum necessities of life in exchange for their labor.  Full employment providing everyone with the proper amount of purchasing power thus provides the “floor” of the economic system.  No one should be allowed to “live in the basement”.

Where PROUT breaks new ground is in its attention to the “ceiling” of the economic system.  The poverty of many is tied to the affluence and over-accumulation of a few, and if we really want to bring about a harmonious society we need to think about putting limits on the amount of physical wealth a person can accumulate.  

In the first principle of PROUT, it is stated that “no individual should be allowed to accumulate any physical wealth without the clear permission and approval of the collective body of society”.

The splattering of Reaganomics "for the people"

This concept is sure to evoke howls of protest from the super-rich, the very rich and even middle class people aspiring to wealth.  The classic argument of wealthy people is that by their effort, wealth is created and this wealth will trickle down to the rest of society. Apologists of laissez faire capitalism have been very successful in convincing people that this is the truth, but the starving, sick and homeless people of the world have been waiting for a long time for the wealth to trickle down, and it does not seem to be happening.

Sooner or later, we will come to our senses and realize that the over-accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few is not in the best of interest of society as a whole and this principle of PROUT, curbing excessive accumulation, will surely be put into practice around the world.

3. Economic Democracy:  In the past century, a great deal was said about making the “world safe for democracy”.  But, the “democracy” that was talked about was political democracy.  In many of the impoverished countries of the world, the same ones where people struggle with $2.00 per day, the people have the right to vote but they do not have any say in their economic life.  Similarly, even in developed countries a person can vote to decide who will be the next president, but he or she usually has no vote in deciding economic matters that are very close to home, such as keeping a job.

According to PROUT theory, society should be organised in a manner that will empower as many people as possible.  One of the best ways to do this is reorganize the ownership and operation of economic enterprises.  Under capitalism, the primary business form is the corporation.  The owners of the shares of a corporation have all the votes and decide how the enterprise will be run.  Those who work in the enterprise have little or no say in the vital economic decisions affecting their lives.   

PROUT's system establishes co-operatives as the most meaningful business form.  Most enterprises, except the very large key industries and very small businesses, would be organised as co-operatives, particularly those enterprises engaged in producing basic necessities of life.  Those who work in the enterprise will be the owners and will elect management and will vote in elections governing the running of the enterprise.  

In a PROUTist economy, the very small enterprises with a few employees and dealing in nonessential goods could be privately owned and operated, and the medium enterprises would be owned and operated as co-operatives.  Large-scale key industries (energy, communication, transportation, etc.) would be publicly managed either by local governments or by special public bodies (in unitary political systems).  This three-tiered system of private, cooperative and publicly run enterprises would provide the base for economic democracy.

4. Economic Reorganization (Decentralized Economy, Balanced Economy and Regional Economic Self Sufficiency)

If we want to bring about the economic well being of all of the people, then we must also make sure that some geographic areas are not depressed while other areas are thriving.  The best way to bring about economic development and prosperity for everyone is to decentralize the economy, develop all sectors of the economy and to strive for regional economic self-sufficiency.

One of the biggest reasons for economic imbalance within any particular country is the modern trend of urbanization.  Usually most manufacturing and many other services serving the manufacturing sector are situated in cities.  The metropolitan areas thrive, and people in the countryside are either unemployed or work in low-wage or subsistence agriculture.

The best way to reverse this situation is to place some industries, and supporting services and industries in rural areas.  In this way, excessive congestion of urban areas will be avoided and strong regional centers will provide employment and services to previously neglected rural areas.

Economic decentralization should also be coupled with balancing the various sectors of the economy:  industry, agriculture and services.  In some countries, more than 75% of the people work in agriculture and a small minority in industry and services.  Underdeveloped countries with poor economies are usually structured in this way.  In industrialized countries a huge majority of the population work in industry or in services, and very few people are engaged in agriculture.

Sarkar said that a more ideal set-up would have approximately 20% of the population in agriculture, 20% in agro industries (producing goods using agricultural produce), 20% in agrico-industries (supplying machinery and tools for agriculture) and the rest of population in industry and services.

A society with this kind of economic balance would be better able to achieve economic self-sufficiency.  Currently “globalization” is the buzz-word of the era, and economic self-sufficiency is not in vogue.  But, is it really healthy for any country to neglect its agricultural sector and rely on imported food?  Similarly, should some countries remain with little or no industry and rely on far-away countries for all their finished products?

Generally, countries which depend solely on agriculture or which export raw materials like wood and minerals remain poor while heavily industrialized countries thrive.  This is not good for the non-industrialized areas, but it is also not healthy for the developed countries as well.  In times of war or in time of any disruption to transportation, their vital food supplies will be in danger.  

On top of this, in a world where climate-warming and ecological difficulty have become major problems, does it continue to make sense to rely on centers of supply (for either raw or finished products) that are halfway around the world?  

We all lend a hand for the welfare of
community and society

PROUT recommends that countries in a particular geographic region come together and form economic zones that have balanced, decentralized and self-sufficient economies.  Such an arrangement would be ecologically advantageous, provide for economic security in times of war or unforeseen disruptions of transportation, and most importantly would ensure that no particular country or region will remain in poverty while others thrive.

5. Moral Leadership

The various plans for a better organisation of the economy and for economic democracy are good in theory, though the problem of materializing these noble ideas depends on the quality of the human beings of our society.  If elected and appointed, corrupt officials will prevent the implementation of policies designed to bring about social and economic wellbeing for all.  For example, the social equality preached by the Marxists was belied by the reality of corrupt government officials living in luxury while the masses remained in poverty, and all too often, operating as a monopolistic organized crime syndicate of state.

The only way out of present economic and political problems is to elevate the moral standard of our society.  If people are properly educated, conscious of their social and economic responsibilities and morally fortuitous, then democracy can thrive and moral leadership will come to the fore.  The hope of the future will rest on the shoulders of men and women who will enter public office with the spirit of service and sacrifice rather than for the selfish purpose of lining their own, and others' pockets or enhancing their prestige.   
A proper spiritual outlook coupled with an educational system that is free from political interference and focused on the all-around development of human beings is the best way to bring forth leaders who are morally fortuitous and working for the wellbeing of society.

6. Global Governance

Against the backdrop of the universe, the earth is a small planet and human beings find it necessary to learn how to live together in harmony on this small planet.  The best way to minimise the possibilities of war and to safeguard the rights of all people is to establish a global governance based upon universal principles.  Previous attempts in the 20th Century in this direction, namely the League of Nations and the United Nations, have not been adequate and it is time to move onto a better threshold of global coordination.

In his book, Problem of the Day, P R Sarkar laid out a concept of world government that should be achievable in the near future.  He advocated the establishment of a bi-chambered world government.  One chamber, the lower house, would have representation  based on population and the other chamber, the upper house, would provide equal representation for all nations.  The upper house will not be able to pass a law unless it has first been passed by the lower chamber, but the upper house will also have the right to reject bills passed by the lower chamber.

Sarkar envisioned a stage-wise movement towards world government.  In the first phase, the world body would only be able to frame laws and administration would be in the hands of governments of the individual countries, as a confederation.  In a later stage, the world government would also have administrative authority and a world militia at its disposal.  In the past, world government was considered a utopian dream, but in the near future, it will become a necessity.  Today, larger countries with various states or provinces do not experience any of their various states or provinces going to war against each other due to the practical implementation of centricity while accommodating and flourishing the sanctity of each and ever dominion within their borders.  Such a threshold of excellence in government can also occur on global realms in a progressive manner.  


These are the core economic and political ideas that form the backbone of the Progressive Utilization Theory.  In the years ahead, they are sure to be the pillar of efforts to solve the thorniest problems that confront humanity today.  

This article redacted from an original appearance here.

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous when Economic Democracy is established.   Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE   How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE   http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

How to Unite Human Society

by Prabhat Sarkar, Founder of PROUT  

While trying to bring about the development and prosperity of individuals and society, we should encourage the common points only among different communities – not the points of difference.  It is natural that there are differences in society concerning dress, customs, cultural expressions, food habits, language, etc.  Though, if these points of difference are given undue importance, social problems will only be aggravated, and as a result the unity and very existence of society will be jeopardized.  If nothing is done immediately to check the deterioration of contemporary society, then as a result of different factors, in due course society will automatically evolve some common principles.  So the points of difference should never be encouraged in any way.  

Social and political leaders should refrain from harping on the points of difference in society.  Rather, they should continually emphasize that it is not the appropriate time to bring up complicated divisive issues.  For example, take the case of Indian languages.  There are many people in India who unnecessarily fight over the issue of language, but is now the proper time to raise this issue when there are so many people suffering from hunger, famine, disease, educational backwardness, economic distress, etc.?  Can the people of India afford to waste their valuable time over the comparatively unimportant issue of language?  On the contrary, they should immediately launch a campaign against exploitation, as this will keep the divisive forces under control.  If this is not done, the fissiparous forces will create impediments and dissension in society, and the important burning issues confronting the people will remain unsolved.  

Points of Unity  

The progress of a country depends on unity, so emphasis should be placed only on unifying factors.  To eliminate fissiparous forces, we will have to fight a relentless war against disunity in the following three spheres.  

Socio-Economic Sphere  

While some people are enormously rich, a large percentage of the population is languishing in poverty.  Naturally, to build up a strong society, socio-economic disparity must be completely eradicated.  

With the eradication of socio-economic disparity, the collective wealth of society will have to be increased progressively.  Only then can the growing demands of the population be successfully met.  Let us take the example of Orissa.  Agricultural production, particularly in the rainy season, depends almost entirely on the monsoons.  But if the irrigation system was properly developed, the total agricultural production in the state would increase 300 percent, and an additional 40 million people could be fed.  Today only 15 million people are being fed with the present levels of production.  Orissa is also rich in mineral resources.  Abundant coal, bauxite, manganese and other minerals are readily available in the state, but many of these minerals are being exported to other countries.  If these raw materials were properly utilized to manufacture finished goods in the state, Orissa could establish at least four large-scale steel plants.  This would substantially increased the purchasing power of the people.  Unfortunately, the incompetent political leaders of the country do not think in a rational way.  On the contrary, they formulate plans that neither remove socio-economic disparity nor increase collective wealth.  These leaders have committed a major blunder by placing the cart before the horse.  

In all countries of the world, economically deprived people can be united through a common programme of socio-economic struggle and by fighting against cruel capitalist exploitation on the one hand, and by implementing developmental programmes to enhance the amount of collective wealth on the other.  By undertaking extensive irrigation, mining, agriculture and industrial development, the collective wealth of a country can be easily increased.  

Self-sufficient socio-economic zones should be established throughout the world to smoothly eliminate social disparity and increase collective wealth.  The formation of states on political grounds should be carefully avoided.  In one political unit there may be several socio-economic zones which can live unitedly together with their respective problems.  For example, the state of Bihar is a political unit but while the Chotanagpur Hills are confronted with the problem of irrigation, the plains of North Bihar are suffering from the problem of drainage.  In Royalseema, Srikulam and Telengana areas of Andhra Pradesh are situated in the political unit of Andhra Pradesh, but their socio-economic potentialities are quite different.  To derive the maximum benefit from these areas, distinct socio-economic zones should be formed, regardless of whether or not they remain in the same political unit.  It is a great mistake to form states on the basis of politics or language.  If a capitalist and a labourer speaks the same language, who will think that they are friends because of their linguistic affinity?  

Psycho-Sentimental Sphere  

In the psychic sphere, there are certain factors that serve to unite different linguistic groups of people.  For example, all North Indian languages and a few South Indian languages originated and developed from Sańskrta.  These languages have been greatly influenced by Saḿskrta.  In such circumstances, the study of Saḿskrta should not be opposed by anybody.  This may appear to be a trivial matter, but if it is encouraged it will be a great unifying factor in Indian society.  

In social traditions also, some common points may be developed.  Research and archaeological excavation on glorious past civilizations and great personalities will help arouse a strong national sentiment.  For example, the excavation of the Mahenzodaro and Harappa civilizations highlighted the accomplishments of ancient Indian culture.

The study of history should also be encouraged.  Itihása is not synonymous with the Saḿskrta word itikathá which means “history” and is the chronological record of past events.  The word itihása means that part of history which has great educative value.  The study of itihása or the cultural history of a country arouses a sense of unity amongst the members of society, and they become aware of their impact on cultural legacy.  For example, the study of the historical epic Mahábhárata creates a sense of pride and inspiration in the minds of the people, and this fosters the spirit of collective unity.  

The memory of illustrious saints and sages also binds people together with common bonds of affinity.  When people cherish their past leaders and saints, it creates a strong foundation for collective unity.  

Spirituo-Sentimental Sphere  

The sentiments of a common spiritual heritage and a common spiritual goal are the only sentiments which can bind people together permanently.  Socio-economic and psycho-sentimental issues are extremely useful for creating social unity and cohesion, but the sentiments arising out of these issues are temporary.  Cosmic sentiments are permanent.  By inculcating universal sentiments, socio-economic unity and fraternity will be based on a strong fundament.  People will think in terms of cosmic paternity and universal fraternity.  My firm conviction that we have all come from the same Entity and we will all merge in the same Entity will generate a unique unifying sentiment.  All people will feel united by the ties of universal love and friendship, which will ultimately pave the way for a universal society.  The poet Satyendra Dutta, the great universalist, has eloquently expressed this sentiment in the following poem:  

Ráge anuráge nidrita jáge ásal mánuś prakat́ hay
Varńe varńe náhika visheś nikhil bhuvan Brahmamay!
Nivir aekye yáy mishe’ yáy sakal bhágya sab hrday
Mánuśe mánuśe náiko prabhed nikhil mánava Brahmamay.  

[When love awakens in sleeping souls, then true human beings will emerge.
There is no difference between one person, one race, and another, for the entire universe is pervaded by one Infinite Consciousness!]  

Wherever there is a common point among people it should be encouraged, while the points of difference have to be discouraged and eliminated.  For fostering unity and enhancing the prosperity of the people, this must be the fundamental approach.  We should always remember:  

Jagat juŕiyá ek ját áche
Se játir nám mánuś játi
Eki prthiviir stanye pálita
Eki ravi shashi moder sáthii.  

[There is only one race in the entire world,
And the name of that race is the human race.
We are bound together with the same breast milk of mother Earth,
And the same sun and moon are our common companions.]  

Points of Difference  

There are conspicuous variations in four main areas of human society – food, dress, language and religion.  

Minimum Requirements and Maximum Amenities for Life

Human needs are ever constant, though indeed include necessarily basic needs germane to contemporaneous life.  Through changes in time, place, and person, such basic necessities may fluctuate, while in a progressively evolving society, such amenities escalate, building upon prior amenities and often transcending them through subtler means.  PROUT endeavors towards participation, as well as production and distribution to escalate in optimal capacities and processes, and rational distribution in a rational manner, not to compromise any realm of society by any means in the evolution of such progress.  

Guaranteeing basic amenities of life are imperative for a society to prevail; prevention of such availability and growth of amenities are unconscionable, are crimes against humanity.  

Progressive Utilization promotes assuring the purchasing capacity for acquiring the basic necessities for all, a broader concept, disposition, and principle than state capitalism, stipend socialism, chasing the crumbs of trickle-down economics, or stealing, or anarchy.  At any moment, the correct approach within any country or community may not be exactly the same between one another, while exercising the principle will be the same.  

Principles in PROUT are of such a core nature that they have lasting import throughout the continuation of life and society, while what forms of implementing such core principles vary from time, place and person(s).  This also facilitates PROUT from accommodating dogma or superstition to become part of societal culture.

Today there may be a call for $15 or $20 an hour as a just and living wage, whereas such numbers may not be practical as time passes, thus, Progressive Utilization operates on the broader principle, to remain steady, that "everyone should be guaranteed the purchasing capacity for basic necessities of life", of which should always be in the increase for all, optimizing the felicities of life.  

Building anything on humanistic lines requires a foundation of real love and affection for humanity.  A truly benevolent society will never come into being under the leadership of those who are solely concerned with profit and loss.  Where love is paramount, the question of personal loss or gain does not arise.  The basic ingredient for building a healthy society is simply genuine love; how then is it possible to establish such a society through coercion or legal compulsion?
— P R Sarkar  

by P R Sarkar  Founder or PROUT

There are many attractions in society, and it is the nature of human beings to run after these attractions.  Communism exploited this human tendency by promising to give equal wealth to all.  But the mundane resources in the world are limited, so is it possible to provide equal wealth to all?  No, and the attempt to do so is nothing but a dazzling ostentation.  Now communism has met its end.  Communism was nothing but a “bogusism” – a mere ostentation of verbose language and nothing else. 

Rather than trying to give equal wealth to all, the proper approach is to ensure that everyone is guaranteed the minimum requirements of life.  As the income of people increases, the radius of their minimum requirements should also increase.  Just to bridge the gap between the more affluent people and the common people, we have to incease the minimum requirements of all.  In addition, the maximum amenities should be provided to meritorious persons to enable them to render greater service to society.  This should be done by setting aside some wealth for those with special qualities, but the provision of the maximum amenities should not go against the common interest.

However, something more can be added.  Besides increasing the maximum amenities of meritorious people, we also have to increase the maximum amenities available to common people.  Meritorious people will earn more than common people, and this earning will include their maximum amenities.  But the common people should not be deprived of maximum amenities, so there should be efforts to give them as much of the maximum amenities as possible.  There will still be a gap between the maximum amenities of the common people and the maximum amenities of the meritorious, but there should be constant efforts to reduce this gap.  Thus, the common people should also receive more and more amenities.  If maximum amenities are not provided to common people, no doubt there will be progress in society, but there will always remain the scope for imperfection in future.  What constitutes both the minimum requirements and the maximum amenities should be ever increasing.  This idea is a new appendix to PROUT.

If the maximum amenities of meritorious people become excessively high, then the minimum requirements of common people should be immediately increased.  For example, if a person with special qualities has a motor bike and an ordinary person has a bicycle, there is a balanced adjustment.  But if the person with special qualities has a car, then we should immediately try to provide the common people with motor bikes.

There is a proverb which refers to plain living and high thinking, but what is plain living?  Plain living eighty years ago was not the same as it is today, so plain living changes from age to age.  The standard of value also varies from age to age.  Thus, both the minimum requirements and the maximum amenities will vary from age to age, and both will be ever increasing.  If this were not so, there would be no economic progress in society.

So, our approach should be to provide the minimum requirements of the age to all, the maximum amenities of the age to those with special qualities according to the degree of their merit, and the maximum amenities to the common people as well.  The minimum requirements of the age as per their money value plus the maximum amenities of the age as per their money value are to be fixed and refixed, and fixed again and refixed again, and so on.  In this way you must elevate the standard of the people – you must go on elevating their standard of living.  

The Amenities of Life

The amenities of life are those things which make life easy.  The word “amenity” comes from the Old Latin word amenus which means “to fulfill the desire” or “to make the position easy”.  Amenities mean physical and psychic longings.  Whatever will satisfy the physical and psychic longings of the people will be the amenities of the age.  Common people should be favored with maximum amenities.  For example, previously people used to dig a well to get drinking water, and then they carried the drinking water to their houses.  Later water tanks were constructed, and now drinking water comes through pipes.  In this way the amenities of life have increased and life has become easier.  Though the aim is to get water, the system of getting it has become more effortless and more convenient.

Take another example.  Suppose school children receive the minimum requirements of life.  If they are provided with free snacks, this amenity will be over and above the minimum requirements.  Again, in most trains there are first and second class compartments.  First class passengers already get special facilities, but if free tea or coffee is given to the passengers in the second class compartments, it will be considered an amenity.

More and more amenities will have to be provided to the common people with the progress of society.  This process will generate the impetus to collect and utilize more and more resources, and the proper utilization of the collective resources will elevate the standard of living of both the common mass and the meritorious people.

As the need for the minimum requirements is fulfilled and the supply of the maximum amenities increases, the struggle for daily subsistence will gradually decrease and people's lives will become increasingly easy and enjoyable.  For this reason PROUT guarantees the minimum requirements and the maximum amenities to all.

The root vidh prefixed by su and suffixed by ac and t´a´ equals suvidha´ which means “the pabulum asked for”.  Kuvidha´ means “the pabulum not asked for”.  If you are travelling by train and you see someone take a snack of delicious food, you will have a natural urge or longing to enjoy the same delicacies.  This is a natural longing for physical pabulum.  Those things which your body wants are the natural amenities.  Natural amenities include all the longings of nature.  They include all natural physiological longings such as urination, defecation and eating when one is hungry.  Common people should be provided with more and more natural amenities to make their lives easy.

They should also be provided with more and more super-natural amenities.  Common people experience much stress and strain – they should be freed from this tension.  For example, the rural people of India always worry about their crops.  If the rains are late or if they fail, paddy production will suffer; if the climate is too cold or not cold enough, the winter crop will be adversely affected.  The common people should be freed from all these stresses and strains.  This can be achieved through the provision of super-natural amenities which can be developed artificially through science and technology.  For example, better agricultural techniques and the construction of small-scale dams to conserve water and improve irrigation can help relieve poor rural people of their stresses and strains.  Even simple techniques can increase crop yields.  For instance, if the smoke from burning wood chips is made to pass through a field of mustards seed, the flowers of the mustard seeds will bloom immediately and increase the production of the crop.

We should provide common people with both natural and super-natural amenities according to the physical capacity, the psychic capacity and the technical capacity of the state.  This approach will ensure that human beings get enough amenities so that their lives become satisfying and congenial.

The minimum requirements must be guaranteed to all human beings, and under the environmental conditions concerned – that is, the existing environmental conditions – there should be maximum amenities.  You should satisfy the thirst for physical and psychic longings – for physical and psychic pabula – under the concerning conditions.  So maximum amenities are to be guaranteed to all under the environmental conditions concerned, which means keeping in view such factors as the temporal, topographical, geographical, social and psychic conditions.

What is the difference among surroundings, atmosphere, and environment?  “Surrounding” means “everything physical, either directly physical or psycho-physical, that surrounds.”  “Atmosphere” means “the nature of different expressions in the surroundings, such as water, air, air pressure, temperature, etc.”  “Environment” means “that which controls the characteristic of inanimate and animate beings.”

One age will go and another will come, and human longings will also change.  In one age a particular type of breakfast is accepted as the standard, and in the next age it will be considered substandard.  Today people eat bread and butter, but according to the standard of the next age people may eat fried rice or sweet rice.  Thus, the maximum amenities of life should be guaranteed to each and every individual, and their standard should be continuously elevated.

The jurisdiction of maximum amenities will go on expanding with the progress of human beings.  Human beings are marching ahead, and their longing for different psycho-physical pabula is also increasing.  The minimum requirements of the age must be guaranteed, and the maximum amenities must also be guaranteed.  Maximum amenities must be provided in the existing environment.  

Can human thirst be fully quenched?  Can human hunger be fully satisfied?  Why is it that human thirst knows no limitations?  From PROUT we are moving to psycho-philosophy.  In the relative world human thirst cannot be satisfied.  Human beings are the progeny of the Supreme Progenitor, therefore human thirst is unlimited.  All the properties of the Supreme are ensconced in human existence, and not only in human existence, but in each and every entity of the expressed universe.  Can physical thirst, psychic thirst and spiritual thirst be quenched?  Only spiritual thirst can be quenched.  Unification of the unit with the Cosmic can quench the spiritual thirst.  The physical body has certain limitations.  It functions within very strict limitations.  The mind has a far bigger jurisdiction, but it is also limited.

Future Progress

Every system has its merits and demerits.  The demerit of this system is that as life becomes easier and easier, the physical capacity of human beings will gradually decrease. In ancient times people used to walk great distances with bare feet, carrying only a single cloth, but today people rarely move without footwear or without taking proper provisions. It is a fact that human strength will decrease in the future, but with the progress of society we have no alternative but to accept this situation.  A day will come when the eyes and the bones in the human body will become weak.  Almost all people will wear glasses and have false teeth.  In the future there will also be tremendous changes in the structure of human beings.  Human intellect will become sharper, the cranium will become larger and the nerve fibres will become more complex.  Not only will such changes occur in human beings, similar changes will occur in animals and plants too.

The African elephant has a large body and a small head and it cannot be easily domesticated.  In comparison the Indian elephant has a small body and a large head.  It is more intelligent and it can be easily domesticated.

As life becomes increasingly easy, there will be greater opportunities for intellectual pursuits.  A day will come when there will be hardly any need for human beings to work.  This may sound strange today and perhaps we might not like to hear such a thing, but that day will surely come.  Physicality will be transformed into more and more intellectuality, and intellectuality will be transformed into the culminating point of spirituality.  To move ahead from physicality to intellectuality is the Proutistic order.  It is the surest movement of human life – it is the surest movement of human destiny.

This type of movement to intellectuality will also take place in certain kinds of animals, such as dogs, monkeys and cows.  It may be that in 1,000 years monkeys will reach the stage of evolution that human beings have achieved at present.  At that time human beings will be making tremendous progress in the realms of intellectuality and intuition.  The human beings of that future age will be very sensitive.  The efferent nerves will be more active than the afferent nerves, and subtle experiences will be more common than they are now.  Today human beings seldom have subtle experiences, but in the future they will occur naturally and spontaneously.  The functional jurisdiction of the brain will also increase.  Similarly, many animals will become more sensitive and their vocabulary will increase.  With intellectual development vocabulary increases, and the number of words in a language also increases.  The functional jurisdiction of the brain of animals will increase too.

With the help of spiritual practices, the human beings of the future will increase the functional jurisdiction of their brains with accelerating speed.  People may think that they cannot make rapid spiritual progress unless the size of the brain, and hence the size of the cranium, is increased.  But this is not so because human beings can increase the jurisdiction of their thinking.

Today human beings are progressing in the realm of intellectuality.  To attain the culminating point of spirituality the human beings of today have to face less obstacles than the people of the past such as Mahars´i Vishvamitra, Mahars´i Agastya, etc.  The development of the glands and the amount of the hormone secretions is much greater than 100,000 years ago, and the glands will develop and increase their secretions by much more in the next 100,000 years.  In 100,000 years, human beings will conceive of things which are beyond the conception of the human beings of today.  These types of changes will occur within the social and economic jurisdiction of PROUT.

As human beings gradually move along the path of evolution, they will come to increasingly understand that humans are more psychic than physical.  In fact human beings are machines, but they are physico-psychic machines.  With psychic changes physical changes will also occur.  The human beings of the future will feel strange when they see the structure of the human beings of today.  Similarly, the humans of today would feel disturbed if they could see what the humans of the future will look like.

According to human psychology, people do not like to think much about the future.  Rather they prefer to dwell on the past.  The reason is that the future may or may not happen as human beings plan, so there is always a risk involved in speculating about the future.

One day the physical and psychic structure of human beings will become divine.  It may happen that human beings will not like this mundane world anymore.  They will then lose their fascination with the transitory world.  They will think that it is better to merge into Supreme Consciousness and leave the world forever.  This transformation in human psychology will come about through spiritual practices.  So I advise each human being that as long as you are alive, you should try to build yourself in a nice way, in a complete way.  But you should not only build yourselves, you should also build human society in the same way.  To achieve this you will have to take the help of PROUT.

The progressive availability of the maximum amenities of life will be guaranteed in PROUT, satisfying physical needs.  The satisfied physical needs will lessen the physical obstacles which inhibit human progress, and human beings will experience all-round development, especially in the intellectual stratum.  Human beings will get the opportunity to develop in the intellectual stratum without any hindrances.

The truth of humanity, the veracity of humanity, will go on increasing in different areas of expression.  That is why I say that there must be guaranteed minimum requirements and guaranteed maximum amenities for all human beings, and that these must go on increasing.  These amenities must be good for the physical and psychic development of human beings, or at least for one of the two.

NeoHumanistic Approach to Economics

As you know, physical pabulum is limited, so the mind continually runs from one thing to another.  This process goes on in a never ending order.  But in the realm of intuition the goal is infinite.  When aspirants come into this realm, their desires, their longings, are fully satisfied.  Thus the controlling point is the spiritual order.  Because the spiritual order is infinite, human beings have no control over it, but as the physical realm is finite, human beings can increase their sphere of activity in this realm.  The attempt to do this is a never ending process, and there are infinite permutations and combinations in this endeavor, but the latent hunger in human beings will never be satisfied in this realm.  The quest to satisfy this hunger can at best only lead to the threshold point of spirituality.

As human beings progress towards the realm of spirituality, they are helped on the one hand by PROUT, which guarantees minimum requirements and maximum amenities, and on the other hand by NeoHumanistic outlook, which removes disparities.  These two approaches help human beings in their progress and elevation.  Finally the existential faculty merges in the Supreme.

PROUT touches the threshold point of spirituality.  It also helps to lessen the obstacles in daily life.  For example, many daily commuters have to leave their homes at 6:00 a.m. and return at 10:00 p.m. to secure their minimum requirements.  But PROUT will guarantee the minimum requirements to all, so their daily burden will be lessened.

NeoHumanism also touches the threshold point of spirituality.  It helps the existential faculty reach the pinnacled state.  NeoHumanism will bring equality in the social sphere and remove all sorts of disparities, therefore human progress will be greatly accelerated.

When PROUT and NeoHumanism are established, the whole existence of human beings will become effulgent in the attainment of the Supreme.

The world is moving ahead with its merits and demerits.  The movement from imperfection to perfection is progress.  In the physical and psychic realms progress is never ending, but because everything in these realms is limited, the hunger of human beings remains unsatisfied.  In the spiritual realm, at the point of culmination, human hunger is fully satisfied.  To satisfy human hunger in the physical and psychic realms there is PROUT and NeoHumanism.  But how can human hunger be satisfied in the subtlest realm?  For this [Tantra Sadhana] philosophy and practice is there.  Movement beyond the threshold point of spirituality is beyond the scope of PROUT but within the realm of [Tantra Sadhana].  [Progressive Utilization] is a happy blending of rationality and spirituality.

The human requirements of every age must be guaranteed.  The minimum requirements must go on increasing according to the physical and psychic standard of human beings and according to the changes in climatic conditions, environment, etc.  Thus the range of minimum requirements will go on increasing according to the range of human social conditions.

At present human beings are thinking about their own minimum requirements more than about the minimum requirements of animals and plants.  A day is coming when some of the animals, if not all, will come within the realm of our social membership.  Today we say that each and every human being will get the minimum requirements.  Tomorrow we will say that the minimum requirements will also include the needs of dogs, cows, monkeys, etc.  To fulfill these requirements, there should be more and more production.

The earth is not only for human beings, it is for other living beings also.  So we will have to do something for them.  The minimum requirements and maximum amenities should also be given to animals.  Today cows, dogs and monkeys are developing; tomorrow more and more animals will be in this category.  Animals will also develop longings for different psycho-physical pabula, so they should be guaranteed minimum requirements and maximum amenities too.  We will have to do something for them also.  This is the demand of NeoHumanism, of NeoHumanistic ideas.  This demand should be fulfilled by PROUT.

According to the enlargement of human existential value and jurisdiction, psychic pabula will also increase.  There should be maximum amenities for one and all, with more longing for physico-psychic objects of enjoyment.  These amenities should be increased for the entire social order.  There cannot be any full stop, any comma or any semi-colon in this progress.

Progress is never ending.  Pabulum is also never ending.  We should understand this.  There cannot be any stop in the march of human progress.  And not only in human progress, but in the physical and psychic worlds also.  Geo-sentiment will die out; socio-sentiment will disappear; socio-economic sentiment will be eradicated.  Finally a day will come when sentient sentiment will dominate.  A day will come when human beings will get the maximum amenities, then human beings will reach the zenith.  But is the provision of maximum amenities the zenith of service?  It may be looked upon as the zenith; but because circumstances change, maximum amenities change.  The provision of maximum amenities should be treated as a relative zenith point and not the supreme zenith.

So maximum amenities of life under the conditions concerned should be guaranteed, and they should go on increasing.  We should communicate this idea to the masses and encourage them to help us in our noble mission.

Whenever we are thinking of implementing a theory we should feel that we are living in the present, then we should implement the theory.  The order of Shiva was to march ahead maintaining association with present reality.  This was the order of Shiva.  Marxism completely violated this fundamental principle, which is why Marxism has been broken into pieces under the impact of the present circumstances.

Bheunge geche mor svapner ghor,
Chinre geche mor viinar ta´r.
“The intoxicating effect of my dream has been lost,
The string of my lyre has been broken.”

Suppose there is a bright lamp.  Hundreds and thousands of insects will rush towards it and get burnt.  Similarly, communism was like a bright lamp.  Marxists built castles in the air.  They propagated many tall talks but they never thought about the practical application of their socio-economic approach.  They killed many innocent people and sent countless others to concentration camps in the name of so-called ideology.  Stalin killed hundreds of thousands of people instead of helping them by providing amenities for all.  In the name of doing good for the masses he killed so many people.  This is not humanism.  Today people have kicked communism out.  In China the people recently demanded “common human liberty”.  That was considered an offence, so they were crushed.  Do not people have every right to demand common human liberty?

Whatever is feasible and practical has been said in PROUT.  Marxism built castles in the air and encouraged the people to dream a meaningless dream.  PROUT has not done this nor will PROUT do it.  PROUT will do that which is feasible and practical.

If the common people and the meritorious people are treated as the same, the capable people will not be encouraged to develop their higher potentiality.  This is the reason why the brain drain is happening in India.  When talented people leave India, they leave it for good.  Providing special amenities for those with special capabilities will stop the brain drain.

PROUT’s approach is to guarantee the minimum requirements for all, guarantee maximum amenities for all and guarantee special amenities for people with special capabilities.  This approach will ensure ever increasing acceleration in the socio-economic sphere.  The question of retardation does not arise; even the question of maintaining speed does not arise.  There must be acceleration.  Acceleration is the spirit of life, the spirit of existence, the spirit of the existential faculty.  One may not be a genius, one may simply be a member of the ordinary public, and not properly accepted or respected by all, but even then one will get the minimum requirements and maximum amenities in an ever increasing manner according to the environmental conditions concerned, according to the demands of the day.

So what is the significance of this new approach?

1) Minimum requirements are to be guaranteed to all.

2) Special amenities are to be guaranteed to capable people. Special amenities are for people of special calibre as per the environmental condition of the particular age.

3) Maximum amenities are to be guaranteed to all, even to those who have no special qualities – to the common people of common calibre.  Maximum amenities are to be guaranteed to all as per environmental conditions.  These amenities are for those of ordinary calibre – the common people, the so-called downtrodden humanity.

4) All three above are never ending processes, and they will go on increasing according to the collective potentialities.

This appendix to our philosophy may be small, but it is of a progressive nature and a progressive character.  It has far-reaching implications for the future.  I hope you will realize its impact and all its potentialities.

13 October 1989, Calcutta
Published in:
Prout in a Nutshell Volume 4 Part 17
Proutist Economics

Political Democracy can and will be fortuitous when Economic Democracy is established.   Explore this and other articles covering alternative economics, ethical leadership, economic democracy, and a society without the weal and woe of social and economic vicissitudes HERE   How does PROUT compare or contrast with capitalism or communism?  Explore the answers HERE What are essential ingredients assuring progressive sustainability bereft of the vicissitudes of economic or political predation, privation or disparity?  Learn more HERE   http://gplus.to/ProgressiveSustainability

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Why This Blog

      For centuries spiritual and religious leaders have been teaching humanity how to realize the Truth within themselves.  Some have instructed their followers to shun the world and its temptations; others have preached simply that individuals must lead moral lives in society to attain eternal spiritual happiness.  But very few have ever discussed in detail the mundane spheres of government, politics, and economics.  Development in these realms, so it seemed, was not important for the spiritual journey of the individual soul.  

      PROUT and NeoHumanism are substantially synthetic, and their propounder, P R Sarkar, is a most unusual guide.  He espouses, through PROUT and NeoHumanism, that this physical, material world is neither an illusion nor a great temptation, but the starting point of our spiritual journey; thus we must develop it even as we develop ourselves to make it a perfect base for spiritual effort, transpersonal growth.  This effort is not the struggle of a few isolated individuals but the task of humanity as a whole.  Human society and its institutions should not impede our progress; rather they should be carefully planned and designed to accelerate our progressive march toward perfection.

      We are living in a most unusual time.  Governmental corruption is becoming more and more painfully evident all over the world; the over-indulgence of a small segment of humanity and the resultant poverty of the majority is creating an imbalance that is upsetting the world's economy.  Today people, even in wealthy nations, are beginning to learn what it means to do without.  At this crucial moment in world history, proper leadership is essential.  PROUT speaks of a new kind of leader, a sadvipra or "true spiritual leader."  Instead of the most spiritually evolved members of society renouncing the world and seeking their own enlightenment in caves and monasteries and thus leaving the guidance of society to the corrupt politicians, spiritually developed individuals should take on the leadership of society.  Since their goal, developed by regular meditation and uncompromising morality, is only the realization of the Supreme Consciousness -- not any mundane wealth, power or fame -- there will be no chance of their corruption.  Inspired and guided by them, mankind will accelerate its march toward Absolute Truth and reach new heights of spiritual and material perfection.

      Slander, jealousy, party politics, lethargy, grandiloquence and so on are the various kinds of social evils which, if given scope, make great criminals of people.  These evils are very evident in the modern world, and the reason for this is sectarian bias.  The loathsome race for political status will not relax its grip over society unless the human mind is freed from the lust for power.  It is time for people to be very cautious lest this political tendency continue to shape them into criminals.  If the nature of the entire human race becomes infected with criminality, if people become intolerant of others' opinions and beliefs, if they become corrupt and sell all their good judgment and talent for the sake of status, then humanity's age-old civilization will end in smoke.  

      These postings discusses all the problems that beset modern mankind -- governmental corruption, economic injustice, overpopulation, crime -- and offer practical solutions for them.  Our first step is to realize that the true goal of humanity, the ultimate goal of evolution, is not the amassing of more and more material wealth, rather it's the expansion of consciousness.  Through proper education and practical techniques of psychic expansion, humanity will come to realize that the hoarding of wealth and all the ills of corruption and scarcity it creates, are nothing but the misdirected longing of the human soul for infinite happiness -- a longing which cannot be satisfied by money but only by internal bliss, optimizing psycho-spiritual parallelism.  

      PROUT offers balance between the physical, psychic and spiritual realms of existence in a progressive manner, furthering human evolution towards its desideratum.  Thus as human attention and activity are directed ever more toward subtler pursuits such as artistic endeavor and spiritual practice, the selfishness and greed which dominate people's minds today will be supplanted by new dispositions of love and familia.  As we expand our minds toward the Infinite and learn to share our mundane treasures, we will realize substantially that we are all indeed one humanity, that we are all the children of one Infinite Intelligent singularity guiding us all toward perfection.  Instead of being based on competition and mutual hostility, society will be operated through mutual cooperation and love, a force of nature throughout the Universe.

"I want every person to be guaranteed the minimum physical requirements of life; every person to get scope for the full exploitation of their psychic potentiality; every person to get equal opportunity to attain absolute truth; and, endowed with all the glories and achievements of the world, to march toward the Absolute. In and through this movement humanity should be made conscious of the purpose and meaning of life."