The Influence of the Conceptual Development of Nature in Western Civilisation on the Perennial Philosophy

The inquiry on nature has long been the subjectof philosophical exposition since the time of theGreeks. Nature was considered by them as inanimateand material, thus leading to the corruption of theunderstanding of being in relation to nature in theWest. This gave rise to the disenchantment of naturethrough a secularising philosophical programmewhich appropriated key concepts divested fromits truth to construct a secular worldview. Thisworldview is such that it rejected any form of nonempiricalor metaphysical reality in nature. Inresponse to this conflict in the West, there are thosewho take the position of a perennialist in referenceto the philosophia perennis (literally “eternal wisdom”),who believe in the rediscovery of the sense of the sacredthrough revival of the “tradition” inherent in everyreligion of the pre-modern age. The perennialaspect is an eternal, universal and permanent underlying spiritual method that comprehendsnature which was claimed to be derived fromvarious religions and traditions. This paper is meantto illustrate the traces of secular framework in theperennial philosophy. The discussions are dividedinto two sections. The first section will look into thetransference of meanings of nature by following themain problems that befit the West: the problemsof order, God and finally man. The second sectionwill situate the perennialists within the conceptualdevelopment of nature in Western civilisation byclassifying and comparing particular characteristicsof the proponents of the perennial philosophy withothers that used the same name to appropriatethem in the postmodern movement to reclaim themeaning of nature. The latter section also offersa brief overview of their concept of genuinecosmologies in every tradition as a means to revivethe sense of the sacred.