Our Cosmism

By editor in Man and Universe April 15, 2020

The term “cosmos” first appeared in ancient Greek philosophy, where it referred to the system of the world as a unified whole, encompassing everything — from the movement of the celestial bodies to the social life of humans. And although the world in the worldviews of that time was different, the idea of it as a single system was very progressive. It was, and remains so. Because no matter how the world is structured, it was, it remains, and always will remain a unified system. A system in which a grain of sand, a human, our planet, distant stars, and that which we cannot see in the micro-world or the depths of the Universe, but which exists and occupies its place in the system, are interconnected. And in our time, this requires awareness, awareness on a universal human level. Otherwise, a person will never understand not only the surrounding world but also themselves. The need for such awareness is just as relevant for modern humans as it once was for the ancients — if not more so.

Attempts to achieve this awareness are being made. Sometimes this is done in a religious context, sometimes in a philosophical one. Sometimes it takes the form of a whole complex of ideas — philosophical, scientific, ethical, and aesthetic. In our time, it is such large-scale complexes of ideas that are perceived as cosmism. Its essence, however, remains the same, eternally relevant: understanding the Universe as a unified system and humanity as its inseparable part. In cosmism as a worldview, there are various directions. In some, the philosophical-mystical approach predominates; in others, the scientific; in others, the creative-aesthetic. One can talk about schools of cosmism — for example, Russian cosmism, associated with such great names as Tsiolkovsky, Vernadsky, and Efremov.

I became interested in cosmism only when I began to understand the Teaching well and saw that something similar could be found in it. Seeing in the Teaching a reflection of the system of interconnections between humanity and the Universe, I remembered that once, somewhere, I had overheard something similar — but only in passing, and at that time, I passed it by. Apparently, the time had come to take an interest, I thought. I began to explore, to read various materials on the topic. And I discovered that modern cosmism has a lot in common with the Teaching (or vice versa — however one likes). Over time, it became clear that within the framework of the Teaching, a direction clearly emerges that can also be called cosmism — our cosmism, with the specificity of the Teaching.

What is this specificity? I would say that it lies, firstly, in the general approach, and secondly, in views on certain specific points.

By specific approach, I mean that our cosmism relies on information that, although not yet scientifically confirmed, is considered by the Teaching to be real facts. These are the specific points mentioned earlier. For example, that the Universe is not just a more or less mechanical system, but a huge living and intelligent being. Living and intelligent in the literal sense of these words, not in the sense of a philosophical-poetical allegory. Or that the Cosmos has three levels: the physical cosmos as the material level, the energetic cosmos, and the level of substance we call Spirit. Or that in the Universe not only does intelligent life exist, but it flourishes, with a vast number of inhabited planets and intelligent races. Acceptance of these and other similar points allows them to be integrated into the system of the world as the Teaching sees it, and, based on this, to move further in understanding — even if mostly theoretical at this stage. This is the specific approach being discussed.

From a scientific point of view, this theoretical nature is its weak point. However, two circumstances must be emphasised here. First: this is indeed theoretical, but by no means mystical with appeals to supernatural forces, where anything can be taken literally from nowhere, in any order, and can be fundamentally inexplicable. Second: even this very theoretical nature is so only in relation to the ability to prove something through scientific experimentation. Simply put, if I remember my time in the energetic cosmos and my communication with representatives of other intelligent races there, I cannot scientifically prove this. At least because science currently lacks the tools to record and measure such phenomena. But the absence of the necessary tools for science does not mean that these phenomena do not exist. And this is not so much a problem of the Teaching as it is of science. But within the system of the world as the Teaching sees it, they fit perfectly. Here, it is not a theory, but real life. And even where something cannot be verified through personal experience, it withstands the test of in-system logic and its interrelationship with other elements of the system.

Our cosmism is a complex of ideas about the nature and structure of the Universe, humanity’s place in it, the future of humanity, the intelligent races of the Universe, their role in its life, their interaction with each other, and humanity’s interaction with them. Of course, it is still in the process of formation and development as one of the important directions within the Teaching. Its significance is hard to overestimate. After all, its content is not only the explanation of the phenomenon of human existence, without which one can hardly fully understand oneself, but also the understanding of the future for which humanity is destined. I emphasise: this is not about predestination, which would devalue the meaning of our existence, but about destiny. Humanity appeared to play its role in the evolution of the Universe. Its journey began on Earth, but this journey leads beyond it. People will reach out into the vastness of space, and humanity will become different, opening up potentials that simply cannot be realised in the current, purely earthly conditions. Humanity’s task is to master space, communicate and cooperate with other intelligent races, transform itself, and make a significant contribution to the destiny of the Universe. This is destiny. That is, what is natural for us and what we must achieve, what we must do. Our path. It is outlined by evolution, but not predetermined. Humanity can choose whether to follow it or to reject it. But in order to make a conscious choice, one needs to see the path and understand it. For many tens of thousands of years — far longer than modern scientific views suggest civilisation has existed — humanity has been trying to discern its path, or at least feel its way. So far, it hasn’t been very successful. But it is high time, long overdue. That is why cosmism is such an important part of the Teaching. It marks the path, shows the way. It helps us understand why we, humans, exist, where we come from, and where we are going. It is like a compass for a sailor. And this compass does not point to a single North Star, but to the stars in general. It shows the way that leads to the sky.

The theme of cosmism in the Teaching is vast. Therefore, this introductory article opens a new section in our journal dedicated to it. One could say that this is a kind of journey into space, and at the same time — into the future. The future that awaits humanity. The future that needs humanity.