A Semiotic and Pragmatic Proposal for the Academic Study of Spirituality and Religious Experience
Esferas May 1, 2025 Paniel Reyes Cárdenas
A semiotic and pragmatic framework for studying spirituality and religious experience is proposed, drawing on Peirce, James, Royce, Lonergan, and Tracy. It argues that traditional approaches neglect the dynamic, relational nature of experience and advocates for a holistic understanding mediated by a science of signs. Peirce's semiotics grounds religious experience as engagement with the transcendent through signs and three universes of experience. James's pragmatism focuses on practical consequences and transformation. Royce's "Beloved Community" emphasizes communal insight, while Lonergan's cognitive theory and Tracy's "religious classics" address transformative and hermeneutical aspects. The framework aims to bridge philosophy, theology, and spirituality for a nuanced understanding of religious phenomena.