abstract:The Perennial Philosophy (1945) is a comparative study of mysticism by British novelist Aldous Huxley. Its title derives from the theological tradition of the philosophia perennis.
Inthe bookhesetsoutanddefinessomeoftheperennialproblemsofphilosophy, includingtheproblemof evil, free will anddeterminism, the nature of justice and of virtue.
According to theperennialphilosophy, everything that happens in this world, everything that we can hear and see here below has its counterpart in the divine realm, which is richer, stronger and more enduring than our own.
It has been called the'perennial philosophy' because it informed the mythology, ritual and social organisation of all societies before the advent of our scientific modernity, and continues to influence more traditional societies today.