On the epistemology of postmodern spirituality

Abstract

<p>At first glance, the postmodern spiritual ‘scene’ appears ‘sociologically messy, experiential, multifaceted, ecological, provisional and collective’ (Petrolle 2007) and of uncertain epistemic provenance. Here, I ask: can Roland Benedikter’s (2005) conception of postmodern dialectic and spiritual turn, help us understand postmodern spirituality and can it assist in a construction of a postmodern epistemology of spirituality? The current argument constitutes a meta-theoretical exploration of:</p><p>• Deconstruction and neo-essentialism as representing the significant dialectic in philosophical postmodernism. Deconstruction is presented as an apophatic moment in Western thought about ‘knowing’ and ‘being’ whilst postmodern neo-essentialism, though contextualised by antirealism and ambiguity, palpably suggests itself.<br /> • Postmodern trends which derive from the dialectic.<br /> • How these epistemic trends influence methodology in the study of spirituality.<br /> • How a trans-traditional (anthropological) spirituality might incorporate insights about transformation from a complex of epistemologies in which, theories of ‘self’ abound.</p><p>In the conclusion an attempt is made to describe how postmodern spirituality expresses itself in society.</p><p> </p

Nostalgia and Spirituality

“…For example, nostalgia increases inspiration (Stephan et al., 2015) and optimism (Cheung et al, 2013). Researchers have speculated that inspiration is closely linked to spirituality (Austin, 2004; Schreiber, 2012), and optimism predicts increased spirituality (Ciarrocchi & Deneke, 2006; Ellison & Fan, 2008). Thus, inspiration and optimism may also help explain the nostalgia–spirituality link.…”

Retos epistemológicos del Trabajo Social: indicios de alternativas al paradigma moderno de bienestar social

“…Una de las características del trabajo social, es que sus referentes teóricos provienen de distintas disciplinas científicas, entre ellas, la psicología, la filosofía e incluso teorías espirituales postmodernas (Schreiber, 2012) y epistemologías cristianas (Wolfer y Hodge, 2007), las cuales nutren el corpus teórico y metodológico de la disciplina. No obstante, esto es propio de la interdisciplinariedad que caracteriza a las ciencias sociales.…”