Two Kinds of Mystical Art in the Age of Scientism

Summary

Mysticism is experiencing a resurgence in modern scientistic culture, particularly in art. Defined as a direct union with 'ultimate reality,' mysticism contrasts with esoteric teachings and institutional rituals. While rooted in medieval Christianity and influenced by Romanticism, it reacts against Enlightenment rationalism and scientism. The article identifies two forms of mysticism in art: one challenges scientism by asserting supernatural knowledge, while the other embraces personal experience, albeit at the expense of its claims to true transcendence.

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Abstract

The article explores how mysticism resurges within modern, scientistic culture, especially in art. Mysticism is defined as a tradition of direct, private union with “ultimate reality,” distinct from both secret esoteric teachings and institutional religious ritual. Historically rooted in medieval Christianity and transformed by Romanticism, modern mysticism emerges as a reaction to Enlightenment rationalism and scientism. Scientism, grounded in empirical methods and the exclusion of the supernatural, delegitimizes mystical knowledge yet also provokes new mystical quests by generating a sense of spiritual emptiness and crisis of meaning. In art, the author distinguishes two forms of mysticism. One treats artworks as vehicles of transcendent knowledge about supernatural realities and thus directly collides with scientism’s epistemic limits. The other locates mysticism in the creative process and private experience without asserting ontological claims, making it more acceptable to scientism. However, this acceptance is purchased at the cost of weakening mysticism’s claim to genuine transcendence.

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