Spiritualizing Anarchism, Making Spiritual Practices Anarchistic
Philosophies July 21, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/philosophies8040065 via OpenAlex
Summary
The article defines spiritual anarchism as a concept that critiques the self as a potential source of unjustifiable authority and limitation to freedom. It revisits past discussions on spiritual anarchism, considering neglected traditions, and suggests ways to enhance the anarchistic nature of certain spiritual practices, such as meditation and mystical experiences. The focus is on transcending narrow perspectives through openness to broader experiences.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | Spiritual anarchism is defined as being open to experiences that transcend narrow perspectives, and certain spiritual practices can be made more anarchistic. |
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Abstract
This article not only mentions spiritual anarchism nominally, as do so many previous articles, but tries to define it as precisely as possible. The definition assumes that the self itself can be a source of unjustifiable authority and a limitation to freedom, and that spiritual anarchism is nothing more than being open to that which transegoically transcends our narrow perspective. The article critically revisits previous overviews of spiritual anarchism, and itself proposes to take into account traditions that have been neglected. Finally, the article reverses the approach; that is, it considers how some of our spiritual practices can be made more anarchistic, including meditation, the psychedelic experience and the mystical experience.