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Anekânta & Building a New Society
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There are five bases on which a new social order can be built: interdependence, sensitivity, fixing a limit to ones possessions; fixing a limit to one's freedom and development of the language, intellectual development, development of ideas, development of technology and art. In the class view (samgraha naya) there is a division of oneness – absence of all distinctions. Society is built on this foundation. In the analytic view (vyavahāra naya) there is predominance of distinction or difference. It is the basis of securing the identity of the individual. If rules, laws and order are formulated by integrating both society and the individual their compliance will be natural and comprehensive. There are situation in which the individual interests are secondary and social interests are primary even as there are situations in which social interests are secondary and individual interests are primary. This principle of differentiation between what is primary and what is secondary in a given situation is very useful for a wholesome order. Society cannot be built unless difference or distinction is considered secondary and the freedom of the individual suffers unless sameness or oneness is subordinated. This principle of Anekānta relating to primary versus secondary is extremely useful for a successful organization of society.
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