Principles and aims of the New Atlantis Foundation

is it worthy of our human dignity to hope passively that destiny or chance will see us through. There is no need of a new revelation from the divine or some inspired message from yet another prophet. The original creative work that is necessary to give an answer to questions about man’s destiny has already been done by the thinkers, artists and religious teachers of all ages. Each has contributed to the whole an element of differing significance; but no one person or philosophy or religion or nation or age can give the final answer. This can be given only by the whole of mankind together in their diversity.

Nor will the true answer be given once for all time as a statement of principles to be understood by the intellect. The truth about mankind, our meaning and purpose in life, has not simply to be discovered, as if the script had already been written or could be left to mere accident to write. It has also to be created. Man should now undertake his own guidance. This involves a process of development in life and action as well as in thought and knowledge, which can be brought about only by the conscious and responsible effort of humanity, working together to create its own meaning and determine its own future. The thoughts of philosophers and the insights of religious teachers should not be treated as mere theory or a source of personal satisfaction, nor be considered relevant only to their own followers, but must be brought together and applied as life-wisdom for the purposes of mankind universally. This could not have been undertaken up to now because all the elements necessary to the wholeness of mankind were not yet present, nor did the means of communication exist to enable such a ready collaboration to take place; and individuals had not yet, with rare exceptions, reached that stage of self-consciousness from which they could see the world as a real whole and take upon themselves the responsibility for the future of the planet.

A necessary condition for this initiative is the conviction that humanity really does exist as an entity. It is right that we should believe in ourselves as individual human beings, but we are finally real only as members of the whole of humanity. And since each individual is unique, though we may share many individual characteristics in common, we must envisage a unity which can include all sections of mankind and all individual differences. The only living unity we know which admits of such diversity is the organism. The organism of the individual human being already exists in its physical, psychic and spiritual fullness. The Organic Order of Mankind needs to be consciously created by mankind. In the end all humanity must take part in this work. But to start with it is necessary for those who clearly see and understand the need for it to assume personal responsibility. The changes in habitual attitudes and