''Reason, Romanticism and Revolution'' is the last major work by

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

philosopher and political activist M. N. Roy. Deemed by some to be his "magnum opus," the book was published in two volumes, with the final manuscript readied for the press in the spring of 1952. The first volume appeared in August 1952 with the second volume published posthumously in May 1955. The work is a survey of the development of Western political thought as reflected through the prism of Roy's philosophical ideas and includes a presentation of his own original thinking about "New Humanism".

History

Background

n political philosopher M. N. Roy began work on what would be his final major project, ''Reason, Romanticism and Revolution,'' in 1948.Ramendra Nath
Manbendra Nath Roy (1887—1954),"
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, www.iep.utm.edu/ Roy's process of research, writing, and revision would continue for nearly half a decade, with the final typescript prepared for the press in April 1952. In introducing his work, Roy asserted that modern civilization faced a "cultural and moral crisis" that compelled thoughtful people to seek a return to society's "humanist tradition".M.N. Roy, ''Reason, Romanticism and Revolution: Volume One.'' Calcutta: Renaissance Publishers, 1952; pg. v. Roy attributed this crisis to a negative byproduct of the 19th Century victory of

skepticism Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

and empiricism over other more immutable and deterministic belief systems — a process which not only "set human spirit free" but which also ushered in new forms of subjugation. "If empiricism deposed reason from the seat of the supreme judge, pragmatism subordinated moral values to practical considerations," Roy declared. ''Reason, Romanticism and Revolution'' was in some ways an extension of an argument begun by Roy in his 1946 book, ''Beyond Communism to Humanism,'' in which the centralism and deterministic economic basis of Marxism was rejected as well as the atomized society associated with

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...

, in favor of a loosely structured "radical democracy" of self-governing local units which administered society at a local level, coordinating a cooperative economy. Attempting to move past Marxism, Roy presented his book as a grand "humanist interpretation of cultural history" which also sought to "outline a comprehensive philosophy which links up social and political practice with a scientific metaphysics of rationality and ethics."Roy, ''Reason, Romanticism and Revolution: Volume One,'' pg. vi.

Structure

Roy's book attempted to systematically review the development of Western political philosophy from the birth of modern thought through the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

, the emergence of 19th Century

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

and

Liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

as a reforming ethos, as well as the Marxist response. Roy perceived Marxism at an impasse and posited his own theory of a "New Humanism" as an alternative to what he characterized as the "Crisis of the Twentieth Century". Volume One (1952) :Chapter 1: Introduction :Chapter 2: Human Nature :Chapter 3: The Law-Governed Universe :Chapter 4: The Revolt of Man :Chapter 5: Revolt of the Angels :Chapter 6: The Natural Law :Chapter 7: Birth of Modern Philosophy :Chapter 8: The New Science :Chapter 9: The Enlightenment :Chapter 10: The Great Revolution—I :Chapter 11: The Great Revolution—II Volume Two (1955) :Chapter 1: Reaction and Romanticism :Chapter 2: History of Romanticism :Chapter 3: Romantic Extravagance :Chapter 4: Liberalism: Origin and Tradition :Chapter 5: Fallacies of Liberalism :Chapter 6: Utilitarianism :Chapter 7: Neo-Classical Rationalism :Chapter 8: Hegel to Marx :Chapter 9: Marxism :Chapter 10: The Twins of Irrationalism :Chapter 11: The Crisis of the Twentieth Century :Chapter 12: The Way Out :Chapter 13: New Humanism

Critical response

''Reason, Romanticism and Revolution'' proved to be Roy's best-known work, generating critical attention in European intellectual circles during the decade of the 1950s.Innaiah Narisetti, ''M.N. Roy: Radical Humanist: Selected Writings.'' New York: Prometheus Books, 2004; pg. 8. Roy's work was lauded as "thorough" and "brilliant" by philosopher Erich Fromm in his 1955 book, ''The Sane Society.''

History

Background

Structure

Critical response

Footnotes

Further reading