World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 222

tions on modern civilisation were largely based on his observations on the conditions in England. He ascribes the state of affairs in England to the modern civilisation when he said, "it is not due to any peculiar fault of the English people, but the condition is due to modern civilisation. It is a civilisation only in name. Under it the nations of Europe are becoming degraded and ruined day by day"
Commenting on the material prosperity Gandhi writes that living in better built houses, wearing variety of clothing, wearing shoes was all part of the civilised society. Instead of spears, people carried revolvers containing five or more chambers. Ploughing land with steam engines and make wealth was hailed as a sign of civilisation. Flying from one place to another was considered the height of civilisation. He visualises the future in the following manner. "As men progress, they shall be able to travel in airships and reach any part of the world in a few hours. Men will not need the use of their hands and feet. They will press a button, and they will have their clothing by their side. Another button and they will have their newspaper. A third and a motorcar will be waiting for them. They will have variety of delicately dished up foodH.Formerly, when people wanted to fight one another, they measured between them their bodily strength; now it is possible to take away thousands of lives by one man working behind a gun from a hill. This is civilisation"
What Gandhi saw in England during his stay made deep impressions and was reflected in the following way in the Hind Swaraj. "Civilisation seeks to increase bodily comforts, and it fails miserably even in doing so. The Civilisation is irreligion, and it has taken such a hold on the people in England that those who are in it appear to be half mad. They lack real physical strength or courage. They keep up their energy by intoxication. They can. hardly be happy in solitude". Bodily comfort and the rush to acquire bodily comfort is what Gandhi has criticised the most. In his December 1916 Lecture at Allahabad in India he introduced the concept of voluntary poverty. The saints and reformers he mentions were, during their times, living examples of beings who courted voluntary poverty in order to achieve high moral standards. It is clear from the Hind Swaraj and his 1916 Lecture that material prosperity did not ensure high moral standards instead, the dash. towards material prosperity has brought the moral standards down and led to decay of human society. Through these thoughts Gandhi laid the philosophical foundation of the economic order of society. According to him, limitless material progress could not be the goal of economic development in a society. Material progress was important only for limited purposes of lifting people from abject poverty and destitution that lowered or destroyed human dignity. The production and distribution system that Gandhi conceived and tried to implement later in India along with the freedom struggle calling it the 'Swadeshi' movement was founded on the basic tenet of ultimate moral progress combined with dignified and healthy physical survival.
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