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Progressive Utilization Theory or PROUT is a socio-economic theory developed in 1959 by Indian philosopher and spiritual leader Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar (1921-1990). PROUT aims to make the world into a comfortable place for everyone, without hurting anyone. It synthesizes the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions of human nature, making efficient use of them in productive, environmentally friendly actions. It posits itself to be an alternative to capitalist and communist socio-economic paradigms.

The theory is not concerned solely with economics but encompasses the whole of the human individual and collective existence - physical, educational, social, political, mental, cultural and spiritual. It believes that each of these aspects must be developed in order to support a balanced, healthy human being. Similarly, Prout values the natural interdependency shared amongst humans, plants, and animals. It therefore shares its cardinal values with neo-humanism, a philosophy which takes into consideration the good and happiness of all living beings; plants, animals, and humans.

Introduction

Prout has been created in order to bring more balance to society. It is a system that sincerely, and humanistically places the value of life before the value of objects or money. Sarkar designed Prout to stimulate the poor to take responsibility for their own advancement, while ensuring everyone's ongoing success via democratic representation and by placing limits on how much wealth could be accumulated. Sarkar included in Prout's planning a sense of loving appreciation for all forms of life, and therefore carefully included sustainability and maximum usage with minimum quantity at the core of Proutist philosophy.

The phrase Progressive Utilization Theory summarizes a great deal of its plans. "Progressive" implies that Proutist plans must flexibly change to the specific time, location, and situation so as to best meet the needs of all sides of society and environment. "Utilization" implies maximum utilization of available resources, and 100% employment of people able to work. This does not mean extracting the maximum amount of natural resources, but rather using and re-using materials which are already being cycled through the system of consumption. Similarly, full employment would utilize those from within a given area rather than outsourcing work to other regions.

Rational distribution is another core aspect to Prout, referring to distributing the materials and products of the land and market in a manner that helps the largest number of people develop to their personal and community potential. This also represents the flexible thinking of Prout in the ways that it recommends necessary materials to be distributed in ways that would facilitate accomplishing the goals of a day's work.

Minimum Necessities Promised

Prout acknowledges that people have certain needs that must be met in order for them to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Prout views these as the basic building blocks which are needed for people to contribute to the overall development of society. Thus, Prout establishes in its theory that more development can be achieved with the greatest number of people meeting their full potential.

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A Proutist society would seek to meet these needs by ensuring that everyone is working in a way that will meet their basic needs, rather than through hand outs or a trickle-down methodology. If the government of a Proutist region guaranteed 100% employment, and accompanied this with a minimum wage that realistically provided enough funds for the purchase of a suggested minimum amount of each basic necessity, then everyone would be able to purchase their basic necessities.

By placing people in productive employment, Prout aims to develop the peoples sense of confidence and ambition. The people would be showing themselves what they are capable of accomplishing, and earning the products which they purchase.

The minimum needs which Prout identifies include nutritious food, clothing, housing, medical care, and high quality education. Housing would include satisfactory sanitation and electricity, and food would include clean drinking water. Prout also acknowledges transportation and access to water sufficient for irrigation as necessities, but guarantees them only once the first five are met.

Prout does not specify types of food, clothing, homes, etc. Such detail would have to be determined according to the needs of a given region at their given place in time.

A Proutist society would ensure that all guaranteed needs are provided to anyone living within the boundaries of a given region.

Prout does allow for welfare checks to be distributed to those who are truly unable to work. Such individuals would be those such as the physically or mentally challenged, or mothers temporarily under maternal leave. The regional government would be responsible for determining the exact qualifications of those applicable to receive welfare checks.

The determined minimum necessities would increase in quantity and quality as the community's economy improves.

Limits to Accumulation

Prout believes in providing incentive to provide sufficient motivation to accomplish more. However, Prout also believes there should be a limit to the amount that may be accumulated over time, or earned within a fiscal year.

The amount permitted to be accumulated would not be allowed to rise more than the minimum necessities rise. The two limits would be fixed in respect to one another or gradually reduce. For example, if the minimum necessity is determined to provide 2 apples and the maximum allowed is 12 apples, then in order for people to be permitted 15 apples, the minimum guarantee would have to allow for 5 apples.

Flexibility and Open Mindedness

Political policies in a Proutist system would reflect the most recent needs of the greatest number of people as well as of the environment. This flexibility would also be applied to differing regions, cultures, etc. Similarly, economic practices should reflect the most current local needs and international situation, when appropriate.

Economic Democracy

In order to maintain a progressive system that could continually reflect the needs of the current time, place, and people, a bottom up system of economic democracy would be utilized in a Proutist society. In this, people would identify their needs from within their workplace. In the case that the workplace is a cooperative, this process would be facilitated by group discussions (see section on co-operatives). With a prepared list of needs and recommendations, the workplace would then identify one of the workers to the community governing body. This body, along with representatives from the community's other work places, would work to determine how to provide each enterprise with their needs. Those issues needing consultation at the larger regional level would be presented by the person selected to represent the community governing body. Further regional representatives would present appropriate issues to the world government as needed.

This system would allow for people to focus on their professional area, articulately presenting what they need in order to overcome challenges as they arise, and generally develop their trade or practice.

It should be clear that the main decision making goes on in the work place. The governing bodies merely work together in order to determine the best way to put their decisions into action in ways that do not hurt anyone and maintain ecological health.

The role of each level of government would be to bring the people what they need in order to work successfully, and to uphold the neo-humanist values of Prout. Each level would prevent parochialism.

Block Level Planning

In a PROUTist system, regions known as blocks would be defined in order to make every region economically self reliant. These blocks would be identified based on common socio-economic situations, raw material availability, geographic conveniences, meteorological tendencies, cultural traits, languages, and other common uniting factors. Districts within these blocks would further group together local practices and availabilities.

It would be made difficult for people to extend their business endeavors into other blocks. In this, each block and district would be made as strong as possible. This must be done through maximum endogenous, grass-roots development. If people of one block were working for the development of another block, than the block of the workers would be held back.

Block level planning's goal characterizes the popular phrase, "Think Globally, Act Locally."

The underlying intention is to make people feel proud of themselves. If their work is able to provide their personal community or larger block with all it's needs, without having to purchase goods from outside, they will feel a sense of purpose. The confidence that would come from this could then contribute to a healthy sense of social responsibility to their community and block members. Their solidarity and collective nationalism could then continue to develop a sense of family and belonging amongst each block. With time, this could then spread to a larger perspective, developing a sense of concern for all life on the planet.

Economic Decentralization

The businesses of a Proutist economy would be comprised of government run energy facilities, many worker-owned businesses, as well as occasional micro credits and small businesses. As these entities would have laws of limited accumulation to follow, they would not be able to become gigantic corporations without the rest of the society rising with them. By having worker cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, fishing cooperatives, production cooperatives, distribution cooperatives, etc., in addition to the small businesses, the maximum number of people in the society would be able to become directly involved in the political process. Having large companies with a central boss on top distributing orders would be highly discouraged, as this centralized style would diminish the overall voice of the people. Furthermore, any form of wide spread appropriation in the hands of a few would be discouraged, eliminating opportunities for exploitation. PROUT wants the best for everyone, and therefore encourages progressive methods of distribution.

Each district would design their own way to best develop their area.

While providing a voice to so many people, they would be continuously encouraged to further their education in order to be able to contribute more, and develop their personal level of conscientiousness and consciousness.

Cooperatives

Cooperatives are organizations owned by the workers. Proutist cooperatives would be an integral part of the process of economic democracy. The needs of each profession and work place would be identified by the decisions made within the co-ops.

Co-op decisions would ideally be made in group meetings, offering every member the opportunity to present an opinion. Appropriate time would have to be allotted for this process. Members would ultimately represent their preference with a vote. Every member would receive one vote. This not only would provide for a form of participative democracy, but would stimulate the intellectual abilities of all co-op members. It would also encourage greater concern to be put into the work due to the pride which would result from seeing their ideas in action.

Co-op members would also be able to feel more appreciated for their work by conscientiously working for the community. When it is the members of the community who are working in the co-op, they are able to represent the needs of the community within the co-op. As these community needs become fulfilled by the co-op, there is conscientiousness amongst the community who helped answer those needs. Thus, there would be increased appreciation by the community for each individual of the co-op who worked to bring them what they sought.

In this reflexive system, the needs of the individuals of the community are represented in the co-op, and the human face of the co-op is maintained in the community. People see how they are impacting one another, supporting one another, and working together. Such a system would keep co-ops local, strongly involved, and incorporated into the daily life of a community.

Trade

The main concern in a Proutist trading system would be fair prices, endogenous development, and cultural sustainability.

All farmers, producers, and distributors must be able to earn prices that are at least able to meet their minimum needs. Exploitation of farmers, for example, providing cheap initial produce for expensive end products would not be tolerated. In a Proutist system, the profits of the end products would be predicted and appropriately distributed via fair prices.

Fair compensation provided to the initial producers in a Proutist system would ensure ongoing development of the region from which the products are being sold. Those selling the products would be required to be production worker co-operatives, and those buying would be required to be consumer co-operatives. In order for each region in the trade agreement to be independent, and as self-sufficient as possible, the regions should have met their needs before having entered into trade agreements. Trade would exist to enhance the material comforts of the citizens and businesses of the region, giving them access to more products. It would not exist to provide essential items such as common food items or common furniture. Therefore, only excess material would be traded. Excess would only occur after a region has gained self sufficiency. Generally, each region's economy would need to be strong before initiating trade with other regions.

The exception to this would occur in the case that common items were not available to a given region. In this case, trading would occur in order to provide the items needed by a particular region. This would occur in a way that would not have a negative impact on the economy of the region purchasing the goods. The items would be sold at a price which would provide profit, or at least expense-coverage, to the producers and sellers, yet not at a price that would require the purchaser to take loans. Furthermore, financial transparency and honesty would be required by the purchasing region in order to prove the price they could afford. It would be unproductive for the purchasing region to falsely claim they would not be able to afford a suggested price in order to greedily receive a lowered or subsidized price. Financial transparency would also be required of the selling region in order to prove that the offered prices do not provide unnecessarily high profits.

Note that this exception would be unlikely in a 100% Proutist system, as region borders would be defined in ways that would provide sufficient amounts of basic food and material resources to each region. Additionally, a 100% Proutist system would use a barter system, which does not involve cash exchange and does not tax imports. On the way towards the time when that is possible, a fair trade system would have to suffice.

Once trade is established, a Proutist trade system would continue to encourage purchase of locally produced products. This would be done by taxing imported items to make the locally produced goods cheaper. In the case that imported items provided something not available locally, taxes may not applied, but simultaneous efforts would be taken to begin local production of that item. Once local production began, imported items would gradually be removed from the market until the local economy strengthens.

A Proutist system would also be concerned with the culture within each region. If the unnecessary purchases of items imported from other cultures had potential to alter the culture of the purchasing areas, serious discussion would have to take place. Topics would include how the culture would be changed, judgment of these changes, how these changes could contribute to the personal development of each family in the region, and how these changes could contribute to overall economic development of the region. The result of this discussion would determine if and how trading would be permitted.

The world government could moderate between trading regions to ensure fair prices, endogenous development, and cultural sustainability. A department of ethical trading could be established to oversee all planning and execution of international exchange.

Moralistic Leadership

The essential characteristic of a Proutist leader is his/her honest, selfless dedication to the benefit and development of the greatest number of people. Prout refers to such selfless leaders as "Sadvipras," a Sanskrit term which literally means, "those with subtle mind." Proutists interpret this usage of "subtle" as being sensitive to all the qualities of and needs held by human beings, as well as an awareness of what is needed to encourage people to develop. For example, a Sadvipra would be attuned to a person's psychological state, or the social psychology between two conversing people.

Sadvipras, or caring leaders, fairly represent positive traits of all social classes, fight all forms of injustice, and have no patience for forms of exploitation. They have advanced intellectual capabilities, high emotional intelligence, and maintain a developed spiritual practice. They are readily willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the majority, and are thus courageous and dedicated to neo-humanist values. Holding such high standards for themselves, always focused on remaining balanced in action and inner relaxation, they are able to inspire large numbers of people to thoroughly cherish their own lives as well as the life around them.

In the process of maintaining patience and relaxation, this caring leader would possess introspective skills. He/She would be able to remain aware of his/her thoughts, actions, and motives, and always focus, or refocus as necessary, on what will honorably strengthen the well being of society. They would be sufficiently keen to avoid acting out of personal insecurities they may hold, or passing emotions. Mistakes would always be identified, learned from, and corrected, and this leader would have little hesitation to provide a humble, sincere apology whenever needed.

The Proutist leader practices compassion, and does not develop a sense of animosity for a person. The leader would understand that someone's dishonorable action may not be directly representative of the person's personality. Rather, the leader would hold a respect for whatever past situations led to a person's action, and not confuse that with the basic goodness that is at the core of every person. Holding compassion as well as a desire to see people's development and success, a Sadvipra would create tactful rehabilitation programs for people in need of learning from their mistakes.

Furthermore, a Sadvipra would be able to resolve conflicts resulting from cultural differences, religious differences, class differences, gender differences, etc. in ways that would satisfy each party. They would also only ask others to accept an activity or conduct which they themselves exemplify.

World Government

Once leaders who are selfless, honestly responsible, and dedicated to others' needs are placed in position throughout all levels of representation, PROUT envisions the creation of a world government. This government would aim to enforce human rights, increase fair co-operation throughout the world, provide assurance that ongoing development would occur at every level of every society, and generally apply neo-humanist, Proutist principles to the world.

A PROUT world government would build representation, organization, and communication throughout the world, and would not be designed to gain power to benefit a select few or to devise mass systems of control. This vision would similarly not be designed to create one world culture, but rather unite and respect many cultures and their respective languages. The members of this government would consist of representatives of every region. Prout focuses on using education and honest inspiration to guide people to practice (and debate how they may be practiced) genuinely peaceful, healthy, socially responsible, environmentally friendly lifestyles. The ultimate goal would be to help people develop to a degree where they may realistically meet spiritual goals.

The design of this government, as was initially designed, would include a legislative, judiciary, and executive branch. The legislative branch, made up of elected members, would include a lower house and a higher house. The lower house would hold a number of members from each country or region proportional to the area's population. The upper house would hold one representative from every country.

The Prout World Government would hold all regions accountable to a global bill of rights, humane penal code methods, and a global constitution.

Proposed bills would be discussed in the lower house before being sent to the upper house. Any governing body unable to send formal representatives to either house would be able to join the upper house for discussions of bills that would effect their people.

Needs would be represented from the villages up to these top levels. The world government would determine the best way to answer their needs in ways that do not hurt anyone or anything. Laws, ordinances, and assistance would come down from the top levels to meet local development needs while transparently enforcing cooperative, responsible, considerate behavior. Furthermore, the world government would act as a place for mediating conflicts and disputes between regions or other communities that make such a request.

The official language of the world government would be the most popular language throughout the world at that given point in history.

Other Considerations

-In the case that 100% employment led to more production of goods than was necessary for a society, the surplus could be sold to neighboring regions, or the entire work force could be slowed down. The leaders of the region would have to decide which would be of greater benefit to their region.

If other regions expressed need for the surplus stock, this could be taken into consideration by the leaders in a transparent manner, informing the public of the benefits and drawbacks of such a decision. Otherwise, or in addition to, the leaders could utilize participatory democratic methods to utilize public preference in their decision.

-In order to arrive to a full Proutist world, a great deal of moral development will be required on all levels of existence. More to the point, an insightful understanding of the interconnectedness between all life and the environment will need to be common knowledge. In order to do this, transitory measures can be applied and are being applied. For example, social investment takes a step past profit-only interests, to interests which reflect the need for income as well as the welfare of others.

Otherwise, in order for voting rights to be granted only to those who have educated themselves on all sides of an issue, access must be made to materials for such education, time must be allotted for this, and a comfortable situation must be provided for education to be done in peace of mind. The materials provided would have to come from representatives of different sides of a given issue. Only by allowing people to understand the weight of every argument will they be able to come up with independent ideas and authentic personal preferences.

The Five Fundamental Principles

The founder of Prout, P.R. Sarkar initially summarized Prout in sixteen verses, five of which are regarded as the most fundamental. The first principle is a challenge to basic capitalist notions.

"1) No individual should be allowed to accumulate any physical wealth without the clear permission or approval of the collective body."

In this, Prout holds that the most important point to recognize is that ownership lies with the collectivity. As such, the individual has a right to usage only. Sarkar believed that society should have the right to determine the extent to which private ownership is accepted. The over accumulation of wealth by one individual, he explained, is the scarcity of wealth of others. Due to this, Sarkar believed that there should be a limit to the amount of wealth which may be accumulated. He explained that such an idea represented that individual economic/financial liberty must be in harmony with the collective interest. He felt that such an approach would provide for more success than other systems in including every citizen in the rise of a standard of living.

He made a point of refuting both capitalism and communism. Sarkar observed that capitalism allows unlimited liberty for accumulation while communism prescribes uniform salaries for all regardless of merit and labour.

Prout explains that absolute uniformity of wealth is an unhelpful delusion. Prout prefers a subjective approach holding that the notion of ownership may vary considerably according to the collective psychology of a given society. In order to appropriately and flexibly meet the needs of each society, Prout gives no specific mechanism for determining ownership. Rather, Prout provides general guidelines to reinforce the notion of collective ownership, a democratic approach to the utilization of resources, and economic democracy.

"2) There should be maximum utilization and rational distribution of all mundane, supra-mundane, and spiritual potentialities of the universe."

This principle begins Prout's process of defining resources and capacities that can be utilized and distributed. This definition process, as explained in Prout, must be aware of the economic value as well as the more qualitative, life-appreciating value. For instance, the aesthetic and environmental value of a forest is no less important than its economic value once converted into Christmas trees. Prout clarifies that utilization implies the opposite of misutilization and non-utilization as occurs during periods of resources stagnation. As such, Prout opposes hoarding resources for purposes of market value manipulation. Prout explains that maximum utilization of physical resources provides the means of properly generating basic social requirements and amenities. Prout explains that rational distribution refers to providing access to subtle resources as well as an equitable and constantly adjusted income policy. In Prout, the minimum requirements must first be guaranteed to all and then the surplus can be distributed to merit, provided that the differential gap is progressively closed and the minimum level adjusted upwards.

"3) There should be maximum utilization of the physical, metaphysical, and spiritual potentialities of the unit and collective bodies of human society."

This principle refers to Prout's preference for the humanitarian, efficient use of different human qualities. Sarkar explained that the physical, intellectual, and spiritual potentialities should be expressed in a constructive way and effort should be made for all-round development. Prout seeks for the strengths of each to be utilized according to their particular unique character. Prout encourages those with outstanding abilities to be given maximum support in order to meet their potential of work, boosting their confidence, and providing the best service for society. Prout similarly seeks to provide maximum support for the development of the innate potential of the common mass. In order to develop the potential of all, Prout seeks to eliminate fear for basic needs by guaranteeing the minimum requirements of life such as food and shelter. Prout believes that only with these necessities can people have the mental ease to develop their mental and spiritual capacities. Prout also encourages free, high quality educational opportunities to be made available to all, and for consistent opportunities be made for the development of professional skills.

Prout also believes in the importance of having the education system teach socio-economic consciousness, ethical conduct, community-service mindedness, social awareness, and spirituality.

"4) There should be a proper adjustment amongst these physical, metaphysical, mundane, supramundane and spiritual utilizations."

Prout's fourth principle asserts that the previous two principles must be applied in a manner in which they are balanced with one another. Prout explains that the lack of this balance will cause society to become disturbed, endangering it to degradation and degeneration.

In order to maintain this balance, Prout suggests that increasing the people's purchasing power is the best method of meeting people's needs on the physical level. Prout argues that routine handouts encourage dependency and are destructive to initiative.

Proutists have used the example of a society automatically providing food and housing without prior or ongoing requirements. They explain that this causes the people's individual initiative and responsibility to become retarded; people will gradually become lethargic. Therefore, the Proutists continue, society has to make such arrangements so that people, in exchange for their labor according to their capacity, can earn the money they require to purchase the minimum necessities. They imply that there should be 100% employment.

Prout suggests that people's role in society should also be determined in a balanced way. Prout explains that employment should draw on people's inherent talents and interests. According to Proutist perspective, at present, intellectual and artistic skills are comparatively rare compared to physical skills. Spiritual awareness is yet rarer still, Prout observes. Prout believes that the remedy for this can be in supporting those who hold advanced mental or spiritual faculties so that they can benefit the greatest number of people who take interest in their guidance. Thus, multiple faiths and philosophical inquiries would be supported. The only instance in which Prout would not support a given faith would be in the case that it infringed upon obvious human rights or forced adults to join the faith. Additionally, Prout believes that it is important to allow and require the leaders of a society to develop their skills intellectually, spiritually, and physically.

"5) The method of utilization should vary in accordance with the changes in time, place, and person, and the utilization should be of a progressive nature."

Prout's fifth principle urges the importance of changing to the times. Prout observes that keeping policies and practices solely for the sake of familiarity often leads to the suffering of many people. As Prout believes that all activity should be mindfully done with the aim of mass-human development, Prout rejects sticky dogmatic attitudes. Prout similarly encourages such open-minded flexibility for a given area where policy is being created, and for each separate individual unto who policy is being applied.

Sarkar once explained, "Take a particular example. Suppose a physically strong person serves the society as a rickshaw puller or a market porter. As the rickshaw may become out dated some day, the method of utilizing their physical strength should vary. If a person is intellectually developed but has the same physical strength as others, their intellectual potentiality should be utilized. Thus the process of utilization will not be the same for all people. Better methods of utilization should be continually developed, but the process of utilization should be progressive in nature. " This is to say, everyone's skills should be utilized. If only some of a person's skills are being actively utilized by the society, their other skills should be practiced and developed for their own personal enrichment and for preparation to contributing those skills to society.

As change occurs, the benefit of everyone should be placed first and foremost in policy changes, believes Prout. Prout also encourages the use of technology to support these aims, and encourages ecologically friendly ways in which the technology is used.

Prout in the world

Today, the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela is active in helping the Venezuela movement for progressive socialism, keep Proutist values at the core of their vision and practices. The Prout Research Institute is studying different areas of concern within the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The results of our studies will help design policy for submission to government figures and prepare trainings for worker-owned businesses(co-operatives) and farmers. Documentaries are being made for each area of research, and future projects include scripted publicity films. The case study of the co-operatives in the Barlovento region will provide insights into the efficiency of Venezuelan co-operatives, as well as the effectiveness that co-operatives contribute to community organization and economic democracy. The research into Venezuelan agricultural practices is focused on popularizing organic farming methods. This is particularly important as the Venezuelan government is in the process of dramatically increasing the amount of food that is produced within Venezuela. There is also an ongoing land tax investigation. Prout seeks to reform these taxes to assist the widening distribution of wealth within Venezuela.

The World Prout Assembly, established in January 2005, is a movement to unite moralists everywhere against exploitation anywhere. It seeks to gather together the unheralded and unsung heroes and heroines around the globe, who quietly do yeoman work in countless local struggles against oppression, be it fundamentalism, fascism, patriarchy or corporate capitalism. World Prout Assembly (WPA) engages in education on many issues, with the most important topics being (1) economic democracy and cooperatives, including worker, producer and consumer cooperatives; (2) energy and water self-sufficiency, including solar, wind and water cooperatives; (3) self-sustaining, locally self-sufficient, ecological-agricultural communities that can provide the minimum necessities of life to the inhabitants of those communities; and (4) animal rights and vegetarian lifestyle. Education takes the form of websites, conferences, workshops, seminars and related literature. The movement engages practically in ways to serve economic and environmental refugees, destitute women and victims of domestic violence, and disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities.

More On Prout

Taken from http://priven.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=32.

Spirituality and Progress

Human beings are on an evolutionary path toward realizing their higher consciousness. True progress is movement that leads to self-realization and spiritual qualities such as compassion and love for all beings. Material or intellectual gains do not necessarily constitute progress unless they contribute to deeper, spiritual well-being.

The progressive orientation of society is maintained by making continual adjustments in the use of physical resources and mental potentialities in accordance with spiritual and Neo-humanistic values. Human beings are encouraged to construct economic and social institutions to facilitate the attainment of our highest potentialities.

Environmental Care

A decentralized economy can better ensure that the ecological systems of the earth are not exploited beyond their capacity to renew themselves. Environmental stewardship is a requisite for people who are dependent upon these systems for their own survival and well-being.

Informed Democracy

The viability of political democracy rests on an electorate possessing three factors:

1) education, 2) socio-economic consciousness, 3) ethical integrity.

Freedom

Individuals should have complete freedom to acquire and express their ideas, creative potential, and inner aspirations. Such intellectual and spiritual freedom will strengthen the collectivity. Restrictions should only be placed on actions clearly detrimental to the welfare of others. Constraints need to be placed on the accumulation of physical wealth, as excessive accumulation by a few results in the deprivation of many.

Cultural Diversity

In the spirit of universal fellowship, PROUT encourages the protection and cultivation of local culture, language, history and tradition. For social justice and a healthy social order, individual and cultural diversity must be accepted and encouraged.

Women's Rights

PROUT encourages the struggle against all forms of violence and exploitation used to suppress women. Prout's goal is coordinated cooperation, with equal rights between men and women. PROUT seeks the economic, social and spiritual empowerment of women throughout the world.

Science and Technology

Scientific knowledge and technology are potential assets to humanity. Through their proper use, the physical hardships of life decreases and knowledge is gained about the secrets of life. Time is freed for cultural and spiritual pursuits. However, the development and utilization of scientific knowledge must come under the guidance of spiritual and Neo-humanist values and ethical leadership. Without this, technology is often abused by profiteers and the power-hungry, resulting in destruction and exploitation.

Prout in action

Internet Resources

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Overland, Trond, "Prout's Theory of Revolution," World Prout Assembly, http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2005/04/prouts_theory_o.html

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