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{{Short description|British philosopher}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{Georgism|intellectuals}}
'''Leon MacLaren''', born '''Leonardo da Vinci MacLaren''' (24 September 1910 – 24 June 1994), was the founder of the [[School of Economic Science]] (SES). MacLaren was inspired by [[Henry George]], [[Socrates]], Francis Roles, [[P. D. Ouspensky|Pyotr Ouspensky]], [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]], and finally the philosophy of [[Advaita Vedānta]] through the [[Shankaracharya]]s of [[Jyotirmath|Jyotir Math]].<ref name="Search of Truth">{{cite book|author=Brian Hodgkinson|url=http://www.shepheard-walwyn.co.uk/product/in-search-of-truth/|title=In Search of Truth|publisher=Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers)|year=2010|isbn=978-0-85683-276-5|archive-date=26 April 2023|access-date=15 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426221008/http://www.shepheard-walwyn.co.uk/product/in-search-of-truth/|url-status=dead}} pp. 2, 34, 48 and 59</ref>

==Early life==
MacLaren was born in [[Glasgow]] on 24 September 1910, but from the age of four grew up in the [[London]] suburb of [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]].<ref name=":1" /> He was the son of [[Andrew MacLaren]], a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] Member of Parliament who was a staunch advocate of Henry George.<ref name="MacLaren Foundation web site">[http://www.maclarenfoundation.net/life1.htm MacLaren Foundation web site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223055828/http://maclarenfoundation.net/life1.htm |date=23 December 2013 }}</ref>

Schooled at [[Rutlish School]] in Wimbledon, MacLaren later became attracted to the law and trained as a [[barrister]].<ref name="Dorine2009">{{cite book |author=Dorine Tolley |title=The Power Within: Leon MacLaren, A Memoir of His Life and Work |publisher=BookSurge Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4392-1030-7}}</ref>

Maclaren said he was grateful to have inherited from his father three things: no religion, no education, and a strong desire to distrust experts.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Leon Maclaren - Memories and Tributes|last=Debenham|first=Nicholas|publisher=School of Economic Science|year=2014|location=London|pages=77}}</ref>

At the age of sixteen, MacLaren contemplated how his life could best be put to the service of mankind, a one-word answer came to his mind, the word was "School".<ref name=":0" /> Describing the experience when he was siting by a lake in Wimbledon Park when he says:<blockquote>It became very clear to me that there was such a thing as truth, and there was such a thing as justice, and that they could be found and, being found, could be taught. It seemed to me that that was the most valuable thing that one could pursue. So I resolved to pursue this when I was twenty-one.<ref name="Search of Truth" /></blockquote>Years later, in 1936, aided by his father [[Andrew MacLaren]], he began an economic study group based on the Socratic method of inquiry that became The [[School of Economic Science]].<ref name=":0" />

MacLaren believed that the practical problems of the world could best be solved by transforming the nature of human beings.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of occultism & parapsychology|date=2001|publisher=Gale Group|others=Melton, J. Gordon.|isbn=9780810385702|edition= 5th|location=Detroit|oclc=45211020}}</ref><br />

==Career==
MacLaren's influences include his father [[Andrew MacLaren]], [[Shantanand Saraswati]], [[Henry George]], [[G. I. Gurdjieff|Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff]], [[P. D. Ouspensky]], Francis Roles and [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]].<ref name="Dorine2009" /> According to the Henry George Foundation, MacLaren joined the Henry George movement in London in 1931, serving on the executive committee from 1933 until 1937. At the 1936 International Conference of Georgist Organisations held in London, a contingent from the US presented a question-based method of teaching Henry George's ideas. MacLaren created a similar method and taught the course in London.<ref>Land and Liberty, Henry George Foundation of Great Britain, 1933 p 231; 1935 p89; 1936 p94.</ref> In 1937 MacLaren left the Henry George movement and founded the [[School of Economic Science]] (SES) with the support of his father.<ref>Land and Liberty, Henry George Foundation of Great Britain, 1937 p97</ref><ref name=" Standing for Justice ">{{cite book |author=John Stewart |title=Standing for Justice |publisher=Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-85683194-2 |url=http://www.shepheard-walwyn.co.uk/product/standing-for-justice/ |archive-date=6 October 2017 |access-date=15 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006113450/https://www.shepheard-walwyn.co.uk/product/standing-for-justice/ |url-status=dead }} p.65</ref> In 1938 he was called to the bar and practised in Chambers at 2 [[Paper Buildings]] in the [[Inner Temple]].<ref name="MacLaren Foundation web site"/><ref>[http://www.henrygeorgefoundation.org/cej/the-school-of-economic-science.html Henry George Foundation web site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006175720/http://www.henrygeorgefoundation.org/cej/the-school-of-economic-science.html |date= 6 October 2010 }}</ref> In 1939 he was nominated to stand for Parliament against [[Winston Churchill]], when war was declared the election was cancelled.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The science of economics : the economic teaching of Leon MacLaren|last=MacLaren, Leon, 1910-1994|others=Makewell, Raymond|isbn=9780856832918|location=Economic teaching of Leon MacLaren|oclc=827258190|year = 2013}}</ref>

Some sources say MacLaren's father founded the school,<ref>George D. Chryssides, ''Exploring New Religions'', Continuum International Publishing (1999), page 374.</ref> while others state it was Leon.<ref>George D. Chryssides, ''Exploring New Religions'', Continuum International Publishing (1999), p.293.</ref> According to the SES web site, MacLaren introduced and developed philosophy courses to complement his economics courses. Over time the philosophy courses became SES's principal area of teaching. According to the group's literature, from the mid-1960s onwards, MacLaren presented, in addition to some of the ideas of P. D. Ouspensky, the philosophy of [[Advaita Vedanta]], a philosophical theology of absolute non-duality as taught by the eighth-century Indian philosopher-theologian Śaṅkara.<ref name="SES web site">[http://www.schooleconomicscience.org/about/history/ SES website]</ref>

He later stood as the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] candidate for [[Yeovil (UK Parliament constituency)|Yeovil]] at the 1950 election and then at [[Hendon South (UK Parliament constituency)|Hendon South]] in 1951 without any success.<ref>British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig</ref> According to the SES web site, MacLaren studied [[Advaita Vedanta]] philosophy in 1965 with Shantanand Saraswati the [[Shankaracharya]] of [[Jyotir Math]].<ref name ="SES web site"/> MacLaren attended a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the Albert Hall in London in 1959<ref name="Mason">{{Cite book|last=Mason|first=Paul|year=1994|title=The Maharishi—The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World|page=28|publisher=Element Books Ltd.|location= Shaftsbury, Dorset|isbn=1-85230-571-1}}</ref> and became a student of the Maharishi.<ref>{{cite book |title=Gurdjieff: Key Concepts |first=Sophia |last=Wellbeloved |publisher=Routledge |location=London and New York |year=2003 |pages=250 |isbn=0-415-24897-3}}</ref> On commentator states that in the 1950s, MacLaren met and was deeply inspired by an Indian guru, Sri Shantanand Saraswati, and henceforth the School of Economic Science's curriculum combined Platonic and Neoplatonic mysticism with Eastern [[Vedas|Vedic]] philosophy. [[Meditation]] classes were taught alongside [[Socratic dialogue|Socratic]] group dialogues.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Philosophy for life and other dangerous situations |last=Evans |first=Jules |date=2013 |publisher=Rider |isbn=9781846043215 |location=London |oclc=820781877}}</ref>

According to Practical Philosophy's (founded by MacLaren) web site MacLaren spent three months in the early 1970s traveling around the world visiting the SES affiliated schools. MacLaren's illness came during his final world tour. He was brought back to England from South Africa and died in a London hospital on 24 June 1994.<ref name="Practical Philosophy web site">Unknown author [http://www.practicalphilosophy.org.au/about/sources.htm Practical Philosophy web site] accessed 4 February 2013</ref> According to his foundation web site, MacLaren wrote a book called ''The Nature of Society''.<ref name="MacLaren Foundation web site"/> In 2009 MacLaren's former personal assistant, Dorine Tolley, published a biography of MacLaren called ''The Power Within: Leon MacLaren, A Memoir of His Life and Work''.

In conjunction with Frances Roles, MacLaren founded the School of Meditation in London.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

MacLaren was an enthusiast of the [[Sanskrit language]], stating "The grammatical rules of Sanskrit are also the rules of creation".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Language and truth : a study of the Sanskrit language and its relationship with principles of truth |last=Douglas |first=Paul |date=2010 |publisher=Shepheard-Walwyn |isbn=9780856833700 |location=London |page=2 |oclc=704434256}}</ref> He began Sanskrit courses at the School of Economic Science. Today SES is the largest body of Sanskrit students in the UK.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Sanskrit for seekers|last=Waite |first=Dennis |publisher=Mantra Books |year=2014 |isbn=9781782792277 |location=Winchester, UK; Washington, USA |page=12 |oclc=870847091}}</ref>

MacLaren said on teamwork "The first quality of a leader of people – always the first quality – is a devotion to truth." and on praise "From praise comes joy, from joy – strength, from strength – virtue, from virtue – purity and from purity comes realization of one’s full potential."<ref>{{Cite book|title=From principles to profit : the art of moral management|last=Palmarossa, Paul.|date=2006|publisher=Arcturus|others=Rees, Chris, 1966-|isbn=0572031920|location=London|oclc=83756360}}</ref>

Leon MacLaren is described as one of three men responsible for meditation being practised so widely in the west due to his early adoption of the practice and propagation of it globally via the School of Economic Science, the other two men being Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Dr Francis C. Roles of [[The Study Society]].<ref name=":0" />{{Dubious|date=December 2020}})

He also established the [[St James Independent Schools]], consisting of the St James Junior's, Senior Girls' and Senior Boys' School.

He taught until the last week of his life. In 1994, though ill, he flew from London to South Africa to lead a study week with the School's senior students. His visit was cut short when his health failed. He was flown back to London, where he died.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=East Meets West|last=Adago|first=John|publisher=Program Publishing|year=2018|isbn=978-0692124215|location=London}}</ref>

==Personal life==
According to MacLaren's foundation web site he married twice, had two daughters and lived in Hammersmith and later Hampstead and Oxfordshire.<ref name="MacLaren Foundation web site"/> MacLaren had two unsuccessful marriages, both with Study Society members. Neither woman ever joined the School of Economic Science, preferring to stay with Roles, even after MacLaren officially split from Roles and his group.<ref name=":1">Petsche, Johanna J. M. (2015). "Gurdjieffian Overtones in Leon MacLaren's School of Economic Science". ''International Journal for the Study of New Religions''. '''6.2''': 197–219</ref>

He had a keen interest in music, he played the saxophone in a jazz band in his early life and also played the piano.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Music : the foundations of harmony |last=MacLaren |first=Leon |year=2013 |isbn=9780956596840 |edition= Revised |location=London |oclc=874928840}}</ref> He also composed several pieces inducing: "In The Beginning", "Isha Upanishad" and "Rig Veda", based on a seven-tone scale described as the "natural octave", based on George Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky's teachings.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Gurdjieff and music : the Gurdjieff/de Hartmann piano music and its esoteric significance |last=Petsche |first=Johanna J.M. |isbn=9789004284425 |location=Leiden |oclc=892055973|year = 2015}}</ref>

== Published works ==

* Nature of Society ({{ISBN|9780956596819}})
* Music: The Foundations of Harmony ({{ISBN|9780956596840}})
* "Reminders": Extracts from the Lectures of Leon MacLaren ({{ISBN|9780956596802}})
*The Science of Economics: The Economic Teaching of Leon MacLaren ({{ISBN|9780856832918}})

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.maclarenfoundation.net/life MacLaren Foundation Official Web Site]
* [http://www.schooleconomicscience.org/ School of Economic Science Official Web Site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101006175720/http://www.henrygeorgefoundation.org/cej/the-school-of-economic-science.html Leon MacLaren and the origins of SES]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclaren, Leon}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Wimbledon, London]]
[[Category:Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates]]
[[Category:Georgists]]
[[Category:Advaitin philosophers]]
[[Category:20th-century British philosophers]]
[[Category:Transcendental Meditation exponents]]

[[cs:Škola ekonomické vědy]]

Leon MacLaren - Revision history

imported>IGNOBLEVOIDSEEKER at 07:39, 2 April 2026