“Wild Beasts of the Philosophical Desert”: Religion, Science, and Spirituality in a Post-secular Age
This article explores the popular genre of “spirituality and science” against the backdrop of the dominant religion-secular-science classifications. Science has come to exemplify secularity in the modern social imaginary, clearly differentiated from, and often in a conflictual relationship with, rel...
| Published in: | Journal of religion and popular culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University of Saskatchewan
[2020]
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| In: |
Journal of religion and popular culture
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Post-secularism
/ Natural sciences
/ Secularism
/ Religion
/ Spirituality
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| IxTheo Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism AG Religious life; material religion |
| Further subjects: | B
Religion and science
B Spirituality B Gary Zukov B Spirituality and science B Amit Goswami B Fritjof Capra B Robert Lanza B Secularism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article explores the popular genre of “spirituality and science” against the backdrop of the dominant religion-secular-science classifications. Science has come to exemplify secularity in the modern social imaginary, clearly differentiated from, and often in a conflictual relationship with, religion. The power and prestige of techno-science, tightly linked to the narrative of modern secular progress, helps to secure its claims to capturing what is real and true—over against religion that has increasingly lost traction on claims to the real. This article explores some representative figures in the genre of science and spirituality, considering the aims, dominant themes, and authorizing strategies of their writings. I argue that this largely grassroots movement challenges the dominant meanings and relations among religion, secular, and science in its quest to articulate an integrated vision. It turns to new scientific thinking, including quantum physics and biological sciences, and mystical experience to articulate an empirically grounded, and scientifically inflected and supported, spirituality. Through a series of cases, I show the variety within this popular genre that is challenging both traditional religion and modern secular science. Developing the optics, vocabularies, and sensibilities to make sense of these proliferating hybrid cultural formations remains a fundamental challenge. |
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| ISSN: | 1703-289X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and popular culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3138/jrpc.2018-0008 |