What creates the savage

Re: The bald racism of Sri Aurobindo? A response to Toward a Critical Integral Theory

by Daniel Gustav Anderson by Debashish on Mon 11 Dec 2006 01:34 AM PST Profile Permanent Link

[RC: Anderson for his part completely misconstrues this passage making it read that “the subaltern may be able to read but the subaltern may not write.” This is a skewed interpretation, since “intellectual accomplishment” is a vague term which could equally be referring to the material culture of western civilization based on accumulated histories of technology not available to the Central African of the time.]

DB: The passage in question (on the mental capacity or accomplishment of the Central African) is on page 10-11 of the SABCL edition of The Synthesis of Yoga. Indeed, the interpretation you have suggested as against Anderson's "skewed interpretation" is clearly justified if you look at what follows in Sri Aurobindo's text -

"It is not mental incapacity, but the long rejection or seclusion from opportunity and withdrawal of the awakening impulse that creates the savage."

by Rich on Mon 11 Dec 2006 10:01 AM PST Profile Permanent Link Yes, this person seems like he is targeting Sri Aurobindo much like Jyotirmaya Sharma by making the facts fit his thesis. I am not sure how upon any close reading of Sri Aurobindo one could come up with the conclusion he does.