The first
issue of MANAS was dated January 7, 1948. The idea of a philosophical
weekly, however, goes back to the middle 1930's, when a small
group of people living in the Los Angeles area began to wonder
if the time had not come for an attempt to revive serious
philosophical thinking independent of both academic authority
and "popular" trends.
Plans were laid for the paper, tentative dummies constructed,
but the shadow of the coming war was already on the horizon,
and those who would be most active in the venture found themselves
no longer free to devote themselves to it. The delay, perhaps,
was fortunate. In any event, an accidental consequence of the
war was to heighten an awareness on the part of many Americans
of the philosophical wealth of Eastern thought, which brought
a rich if often indiscriminate infusion of Buddhist, and other
Indian conceptions. Worldwide communication was now a commonplace
reality, and with the growing recognition that both Asian and
Occidental cultures could teach each other many things, the "meeting
of East and West" was no longer only a poetic hope. Choice
of a Sanskrit root for the name of the magazine seemed more
justified after the war, providing also an identification without
hackneyed institutional associations. The obscurity of the
name, save for its usage in the Theosophical vocabulary, might
be an advantage, and in time the paper would achieve its own
identification through practice.
A policy of editorial
anonymity seemed appropriate. The objectives were virtually
heroic, and since responsibility for what appeared in MANAS
would be assumed by the non-profit corporate publisher, personal
identities were felt to be unimportant. The policy also seemed
a good educational principle. Let the ideas stand on heir
own merits, was and is the basis for the undertaking. There
is too much emphasis on personality, anyway. Now, nearly twenty-four
years later, the value of the policy seems demonstrated in
practice. If people feel they have to know who gets the paper
out, a letter will bring an answer- a humdrum and unclimactic
answer, as it is bound to be. From the beginning the editorial
stance and outlook have been the same.
Each issue of the
magazine bears this description:
"MANAS is a journal of independent
inquiry, concerned with the study of the principles which
move world society on its present course, and with searching
for contrasting principles- that may be capable of supporting
intelligent idealism under the conditions of the twentieth
century. MANAS is concerned, therefore, with philosophy
and with practical psychology, in as direct and simple
a manner as the editors and contributors can write. The
word "manas" comes from a common root suggesting
"man" or "the thinker." Editorial
articles are unsigned, since MANAS wishes to present ideas
and viewpoints, not personalities."
Neither the policy
nor the format has undergone any important change since 1948.
Usually there are five articles in each issue. These are
the opening lead article, a Review, a brief editorial, a
discussion under the heading "Children
. . . and Ourselves," and
another sort of review titled "Frontiers." For the
MANAS READER, which begins with the lead article in the first
issue, selections have been made from all five "departments," through
the years until the present.
Publication of MANAS spans nearly a quarter
of a century. This has been a time of great vicissitudes
and ominous portents in the affairs of mankind. There have
also been some few encouraging developments, with the emergence
of currents of thought suggestive of new strength and vision
for the future- a future still darkly unclear and by no
means certain. Yet if the record of "intelligent idealism"
in the past can be relied upon for guidance, the courage
of good men is not dampened by evil prospects, but rather
increased. MANAS would continue its chronicle of the constructive
thought of the times, endeavoring to separate messages of
authentic meaning from the "noise," and give to
them what amplification it can. In the terms of the scope
of this undertaking, there is nothing else to do.
—Editors of MANAS,
1971
