[redacted] Week Eleven: Human Respect is a Perennial Idea
The point of [redacted], as a project, is time set aside to examine and use the Natural Principle of Human Respect. Originally conceived of as a Fellowship, so far I’ve aimed to discuss the Principle here for the benefit of those who had not previously come across it and also to gain a more complete understanding for myself of where it fits as a puzzle piece and tool.
As a puzzle piece, the Principle of Human Respect does not appear to claim supremacy above other ideas about reality, nor does it claim to be an expression of unity. Rather, it is positioned as a statement from which we can inform our actions and determine whether the actions of others will increase or decrease happiness, harmony, and prosperity.
This is distinct from Consent and the Tao which may be considered other pieces of the same puzzle, one I would describe as having edges made of water. It ebbs and flows. Happiness, harmony, and prosperity are placeholder words, like love, that may be right for this time and place, though they should not be considered as important as what they attempt to represent. You and I likely share some common understanding of what prosperity means in 2024, despite the specifics being different, but it is unlikely our great-great-grandparents or great-great-grandchildren would understand that word in the same way.
Humanity is highly differentiated across time, despite our external similarities. Our lived experience changes. The Principle, arranged in its current form, will no longer be relevant at some future time, but the idea behind the words is timeless.
In this kind of puzzle, we are unlikely to find an edge or corner piece, those indicators that we are at the definable edge and have a shot at settling on a final image. In a reality where change is a constant, the metaphorical puzzle image shifts as change occurs.
That is not to say there is no unity or truth. I believe in both and, for that reason, have recently been rereading several books on Perennial Philosophy – another “upstream” tool that appears to and has (in my experience) fostered conditions in which happiness, harmony, and prosperity can thrive for all persons, and provide opportunity for all to move beyond those words and closer to the thing itself.
Though some of these ideas found their way into Capitaoism, that project is wildly insufficient compared to the work done by Professor Arthur Versluis in his 2015 book “Perennial Philosophy” which I believe informs a greater understanding of the Principle of Human Respect. My words would not do Professor Versluis’s work justice and I would instead recommend that you buy his 110-page book, which you can do here.
Alternatively, I’m giving away a copy for free and you can enter your email in the subscribe field at the end of this article to be eligible.
Though I find Versluis’s book to be the most compelling text available on the topic of Perennial Philosophy, you may also be interested in Aldous Huxley’s book The Perennial Philosophy. I would recommend avoiding The Underlying Religion: An Introduction to Perennial Philosophy as, frankly, I think they miss the point.
I do not know exactly how the Principle of Human Respect came to be but its creator, Mr. Chris Rufer, purportedly has a keen interest in ideas that reflect or more clearly articulate timeless truths. Even if not by name, I would be surprised if Perennial Philosophy was not part of his creation process.
To borrow From Professor Versluis, the Principle of Human Respect seems to be another way a “love of wisdom” has been “discovered anew.”
