Can anyone explain to me what non-religious spirituality means, exactly? I had always thought it was an overly vague to meaningless new age term in that context but I’ve been hearing people like Sam Harris use the term unironically, and 5+% of LW are apparently “atheist but spiritual” according to the last survey, so I figure it’s worth asking to find out if I’m missing out on something not obvious. The wikipedia page describes a lot of distinct, different ideas when it isn’t impenetrable, so that didn’t help. There’s one line there where it says
The term “spiritual” is now frequently used in contexts in which the term “religious” was formerly employed.
and that’s mostly how I’m familiar with its usage as well.
I think there are three main uses of which I am aware:
1) General sense of wonder and awe at real things: pantheistic ‘the universe is god’; sacred geometry; nature worship.
2) Rituals, yoga, meditation without religious or paranormal baggage.
3) Paranormal beliefs that do not fit into an existing religious framework, possibly because you don’t want to cause conflict between different religions so you believe in a non-denominational ‘supreme being’.
Note that these three things are in fact quite interconnected, at least if you broaden 3 (‘paranormal beliefs’) to ‘paranormal/non-physical aliefs’, which of course may or may not stem from actual beliefs (‘expectations about the world’) in the rationalist sense; and 2 (‘rituals’ and ‘meditation’) to other mind-hacking practices which largely amount to the summoning and manifestation of inner psychological archetypes or mind-stances, experienced in personified forms which we may call “gods”. There is a broadly consistent range of “spiritual” practices ranging from the purest and most “rational” sort of meditation, to what we call “prayer” in a religious context, to the sort of mysticism which is directed at “summoning” and even “channeling” or being “controlled” by a god or spirit. And of course, having a general “sense of wonder” about the world is also something that greatly enhances the effectiveness of these other practices.
Can anyone explain to me what non-religious spirituality means, exactly?
It’s when you get high on magic mushrooms which allow you a glimpse of the True Authentic Spirituality of the Native People Who Live in Harmony with Nature and the Whole Cosmos.
On a bit more serious note, apparently a large majority of humans have a need for something… spiritual. Living in a world made entirely of atoms and nothing else (and when you die, you return to dust and that’s it) seems unsatisfying to them. If you kill religions you’re left with a large void which gets colonised by a variety of things, from totalitarian ideologies to new-age woo.
I won’t speak to the content, but can wave towards the form: basically, there is a set of brain modules / neural pathways, which, when triggered by a set of thoughts, fills one with hope / drive / selflessness. Specifically for me, one of these thoughts include:
| “That was humanity in the ancient days. There was so much wrong with the world that the small resources of altruism were splintered among ten thousand urgent charities, and none of it ever seemed to go anywhere. And yet… and yet...” .. “There was a threshold crossed somewhere,” said the Confessor, “without a single apocalypse to mark it. Fewer wars. Less starvation. Better technology. The economy kept growing. People had more resource to spare for charity, and the altruists had fewer and fewer causes to choose from. They came even to me, in my time, and rescued me. Earth cleaned itself up, and whenever something threatened to go drastically wrong again, the whole attention of the planet turned in that direction and took care of it. Humanity finally got its act together.” Three worlds collide
How much this neural pathway is developed, and what specific form the actual software takes varies enormously between individuals. This is a problem with how atheism is being propagated currently: when you’re telling a person “god does not exist”, you’re basically denying him the reality of this brain module, while at the same time taking away a core motivator, without substituting it with anything even barely close to it, motivation / qualia-wise.
So, my import of people checking “non-religious spirituality”, is that they both have this brain module somewhat developed, and there exists some thoughts by which they can readily trigger it.
Meditating to face the question of “Who am I?” is an activity that would be traditionally in the realm of spirituality.
Sam Harris would be an example of a person who meditates and who’s self image changed as a result.
In the interview of Sam Harris with Andrew Sullivan, Andrew (who’s a Christian) said that the Buddhist ideas that Sam Harris propagates where useful for Andrew’s spiritual life.
Sam Harris is a clear atheist and not Buddhist in the strict religious sense but Buddhist ideas did influence Sam Harris spiritual life (his sense of who he is at a basic level).
I consider myself an atheist that dabbles with spirituality on occasion, mainly with drugs. Part of it is escapism no doubt, but I am also very deliberate and ceremonial about it, I’m trying to get more out of the experience than just feeling high. If you read more about the Psychonaut community where ever websites you can find them at, you would get some sort of feeling for what non-religious spirituality means. I wouldn’t consider myself part of that community, I just pass by. sdr gave a pretty good go at it.
Can anyone explain to me what non-religious spirituality means, exactly? I had always thought it was an overly vague to meaningless new age term in that context but I’ve been hearing people like Sam Harris use the term unironically, and 5+% of LW are apparently “atheist but spiritual” according to the last survey, so I figure it’s worth asking to find out if I’m missing out on something not obvious. The wikipedia page describes a lot of distinct, different ideas when it isn’t impenetrable, so that didn’t help. There’s one line there where it says
and that’s mostly how I’m familiar with its usage as well.
I think there are three main uses of which I am aware:
1) General sense of wonder and awe at real things: pantheistic ‘the universe is god’; sacred geometry; nature worship.
2) Rituals, yoga, meditation without religious or paranormal baggage.
3) Paranormal beliefs that do not fit into an existing religious framework, possibly because you don’t want to cause conflict between different religions so you believe in a non-denominational ‘supreme being’.
Note that these three things are in fact quite interconnected, at least if you broaden 3 (‘paranormal beliefs’) to ‘paranormal/non-physical aliefs’, which of course may or may not stem from actual beliefs (‘expectations about the world’) in the rationalist sense; and 2 (‘rituals’ and ‘meditation’) to other mind-hacking practices which largely amount to the summoning and manifestation of inner psychological archetypes or mind-stances, experienced in personified forms which we may call “gods”. There is a broadly consistent range of “spiritual” practices ranging from the purest and most “rational” sort of meditation, to what we call “prayer” in a religious context, to the sort of mysticism which is directed at “summoning” and even “channeling” or being “controlled” by a god or spirit. And of course, having a general “sense of wonder” about the world is also something that greatly enhances the effectiveness of these other practices.
It’s when you get high on magic mushrooms which allow you a glimpse of the True Authentic Spirituality of the Native People Who Live in Harmony with Nature and the Whole Cosmos.
On a bit more serious note, apparently a large majority of humans have a need for something… spiritual. Living in a world made entirely of atoms and nothing else (and when you die, you return to dust and that’s it) seems unsatisfying to them. If you kill religions you’re left with a large void which gets colonised by a variety of things, from totalitarian ideologies to new-age woo.
You need not be spiritual to find that unsatisfying.
Yes, but what you find to satisfy you often has the label ‘spiritual’ stuck on it.
Moralistic therapeutic deism
I won’t speak to the content, but can wave towards the form: basically, there is a set of brain modules / neural pathways, which, when triggered by a set of thoughts, fills one with hope / drive / selflessness. Specifically for me, one of these thoughts include:
| “That was humanity in the ancient days. There was so much wrong with the world that the small resources of altruism were splintered among ten thousand urgent charities, and none of it ever seemed to go anywhere. And yet… and yet...” .. “There was a threshold crossed somewhere,” said the Confessor, “without a single apocalypse to mark it. Fewer wars. Less starvation. Better technology. The economy kept growing. People had more resource to spare for charity, and the altruists had fewer and fewer causes to choose from. They came even to me, in my time, and rescued me. Earth cleaned itself up, and whenever something threatened to go drastically wrong again, the whole attention of the planet turned in that direction and took care of it. Humanity finally got its act together.” Three worlds collide
How much this neural pathway is developed, and what specific form the actual software takes varies enormously between individuals. This is a problem with how atheism is being propagated currently: when you’re telling a person “god does not exist”, you’re basically denying him the reality of this brain module, while at the same time taking away a core motivator, without substituting it with anything even barely close to it, motivation / qualia-wise.
So, my import of people checking “non-religious spirituality”, is that they both have this brain module somewhat developed, and there exists some thoughts by which they can readily trigger it.
Meditating to face the question of “Who am I?” is an activity that would be traditionally in the realm of spirituality.
Sam Harris would be an example of a person who meditates and who’s self image changed as a result.
In the interview of Sam Harris with Andrew Sullivan, Andrew (who’s a Christian) said that the Buddhist ideas that Sam Harris propagates where useful for Andrew’s spiritual life.
Sam Harris is a clear atheist and not Buddhist in the strict religious sense but Buddhist ideas did influence Sam Harris spiritual life (his sense of who he is at a basic level).
I consider myself an atheist that dabbles with spirituality on occasion, mainly with drugs. Part of it is escapism no doubt, but I am also very deliberate and ceremonial about it, I’m trying to get more out of the experience than just feeling high. If you read more about the Psychonaut community where ever websites you can find them at, you would get some sort of feeling for what non-religious spirituality means. I wouldn’t consider myself part of that community, I just pass by. sdr gave a pretty good go at it.