The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science: A Brief Introduction
“This book contains the substance of a course of lectures recently given by the writer in the Queen Street Hall, Edinburgh. Its purpose is to indicate the Natural Principles governing the relationship between Mental Action and Material Conditions, and thus to afford the student an intelligible starting-point for the practical study of the subject.” - Thomas Troward, 1904
For the remainder of this year I will be spending my time evaluating, considering, and writing about the Edinburgh Lectures, given by Thomas Troward over 100 years ago.
At first I was undecided about whether or not to publish a series of articles about such a complex set of topics. Who am I, some 19 year old, to decide the interpretation of these texts? And why would anyone care about what an old man said a hundred years ago? Nevertheless, here we are.
I think we should start by explaining why this information is so valuable in a religious context. First, generalized religion today, in my opinion, lacks true depth and meaning. Second, those of us who do have an established set of religious beliefs still lack an understanding about the key principles which have led us to our faith. And third, because of this lack of understanding, we are unable to fully appreciate how amazing our faith truly is.
Additionally, this text should be dually evaluated from a purely philosophical context. First, generalized philosophy lacks personal significance, as moral relativism is increasingly popular in our culture today. “Tell your truth,” they say. Second, those of us who have truly considered our philosophical beliefs still lack an understanding of how our minds came to interpret the information which we have gathered. And third, our lack of understanding of Mental Science misguides our judgement in everyday life.
The greatest criticism I anticipate on receiving in the following weeks will come from my separation of religion and philosophy. It is widely accepted that these two things are one and the same, but I would argue otherwise. Philosophy is the generalized way in which we think about ourselves in terms of everyone else. It allows us to see ourselves objectively, devoid of subjectivity and personal differences. Religion on the other hand is the set of values and beliefs which we uniquely hold ourself accountable toward. Where philosophy can be seen in a universally applicable sense, religion is unique to every single individual. The problem I see with considering these two subjects as equal is that it is entirely impossible for any other person to hold the same exact fundamental beliefs as myself, let alone interpret them correctly.
We see these differences between various denominations in innumerable ways. Catholics adhere to their beliefs, Protestants to their own as well. But within these two large umbrellas is a vast sea of theological differences. Outside of Christianity there similarly exists an endless expanse of unique theologies. These differences create unnecessary division and struggles, especially in the field of philosophy. Our inability to give credence to another’s opinion because of their theology is senseless. Rather, we should learn to work together on what we can: homelessness, child starvation, community clean up days, etc. But this lack of unity and ever-increasing disintegration is frightening. As such, my goal is to establish a basic set of philosophical ideas which everyone can be united upon, no matter what your religious opinions may be.
Furthermore, if I evaluate this text from any singular religious opinion, then there will inevitably be errors in my judgements, as my own personal biases will bleed through. But if I look at this text from a universal sense, then I can speak from objective experiences of which we are all familiar: loss, hurt, pain, happiness, joy, and any other number of emotions.
If we separate philosophy from religion, just for a moment, then hopefully all religious viewpoints can unify in a singular fashion to consider and evaluate the subject of Mental Science. From this each of us can decide how and in what ways the wisdom in this text can be applied to our own lives, and our religions.
As a forewarning, the language used in this text is rather complex. Some sentences are five to six lines each. Because it was written in a different century, the word choices seem unnecessarily complicated. However, if you can stick it through till the end, I guarantee this study will be worthwhile.
So what will this study look like?
First, I will write each article as an evaluation of one chapter at a time. In a couple exceptions, I will combine a couple short chapters with relatively similar information. Next, I will pull quotes directly from the book, in context, and give a brief summary of what I believe to be the modern interpretation of the message. Finally, I will present what I see as the practical applications of the information presented in the text. Hopefully by doing this we will discover how to use this study of Mental Science in everyday life.
I will be publishing articles every Monday and Wednesday for the next six weeks. In this time we will cover the entirety of the Edinburgh Lectures and, hopefully, gain a deeper understanding of what unities us all in our human experiences.
When I read this short book, my entire understanding of Mental Science changed dramatically. I hope the same is true for each individual that joins me through this several week long project. Let’s endeavor together on this deeply insightful and enlightening evaluation of the Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science. See you all on Wednesday.
Artwork By Sarah Havens