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Despite its spooky etymology, there’s no better word than “spirituality” to describe one’s personal exploration of human consciousness. Harris explains why it’s important to reclaim powerful words despite their past misuse. Harris is the author of Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (http://goo.gl/2N8CKv)
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Sam Harris: I’m almost as embarrassed by the word spirituality as every other atheist. It’s not – I’m not comfortable with my use of it. The problem is – and this is a problem you almost never encounter in English. We just don’t have a good word for this domain. We just do not have a good word for the project of taking seriously the notion that you could become like Jesus or become like the Buddha or become someone who inhabits the far end of the positive side of the continuum of human psychology and human well-being. And someone who can have really radical insights into the nature of consciousness by virtue of a disciplined practice like meditation. So to talk about things like awe and well-being and love and positive psychology and happiness, that doesn’t get at how deep and rarified this project can be. It also doesn’t link it to the traditional context in which people have pursued similar projects. So there is a point of contact between what I’m talking about and, you know, what a Tibetan Lama is doing in a cave for five years. I mean it’s very explicit. Most of these teachings come out of traditions like Buddhism. So while I argue that we have to get out of the religion business and the doctrines that have framed most people’s discussion of these experiences are as unwarranted as I’ve always said. There is no alternative term for the efforts that people can make through meditation or psychedelics or some other means to really transform their consciousness and have insight into the – it’s intrinsic selfless nature. And it’s inconvenient but I feel like the other words that are available are even spookier, something like mysticism, you know, or more specific like contemplation, the contemplative life. I use contemplative a fair amount but again that doesn’t get at for most people what the subject matter is. So for better or worse I’m just – I’m trying to rehabilitate the word spirituality.
I mean one burden I think we have is to reclaim good and powerful words no matter how they’ve been misused in the past, no matter what the inconvenient details of their etymology is. So I would say spirituality is one of those words. But a word like evil is also spooky for many people. It’s felt that evil is a holdover from religion. When religious people talk about evil they’re thinking about things like Satan and a force that is somehow not to be understood in scientific or naturalistic terms. And it’s thought, I think, rightly that once we understand psychopathy at the level of the brain fully we will have a discussion of evil that will seem to erode any basis for using this spooky word. But I think to lose the word evil would be unfortunate and would disempower smart people from making strong moral claims and fighting a war of ideas on this front. And so we need potent words. We just need to be precise about how we use them and the kinds of experiences that merit their use.
Directed/Produced by Jonathan Fowler, Elizabeth Rodd, and Dillon Fitton
I’ve always preferred the word …”enlightenment”. I admire Sam for
traveling down this path and sharing with us his intelligence. No religious
dogmas. Just Sam and his personal discoveries.
Trying to reclaim a term such as ‘spirituality’ seems pointless and futile.
It’s like reclaiming the current iterations of ‘feminism’ or ‘libertarian’.
Would be better served to create NEW word and leave the others for
etymological quizzes and general knowledge games.
The development of faith is a process, religion can be a context for
understanding, but it can also be a context for debating. For example, if I
said that atheism is a stage in the developmental process of faith, then I
would get hit with arguments from both sides simply because it threatens
their ideal of their identity. However, if you read up on the taboo works
of Marcia, Jung, and Erickson, then you’ll discover that what I’m saying
has been said in many ways, over many years, by some of the greatest minds
in psychology. If you want to understand spirituality, then you have to
understand the developmental process of faith. Otherwise, any context that
you try to apply to it will be incomplete and subject to discourse. Just a
thought anyway.
Sam Harris on ‘spiritual atheism’
TOTAL BULLSHIT – “spirituality” is a totally misused word that this dude
insists on continuing to misuse. “Spirit” has a simple meaning and if you
don’t mean that, then find the right word. Otherwise, the charlatans like
Sam will confuse more lost “seekers”.
Evil are acts that hurt a person.
The human spirit equals human energy when you look at chi or aura.
A spiritual person focusses on improving it self and acts with only itself
and not objects.
Spiritual development equals social development and understanding of
(human) nature, in it’s most eldest, basic and natural form.
Energy is underneath the Earth and in the sky, we couldn’t function without
it and there would’ve been no creation without it.
This is why i always use energy as the focal point of everything.
I’ll disprove Christianity right here and now: There is absolutely *NO
REASON* for evil to exist. Can’t you even imagine how wonderful the world
would be WITHOUT evil? You brainwashed people are sick and vile, you THRIVE
on evil and the suffering of others. You think God is testing us, but if
he’s all-knowing as you *also* claim then he ALREADY KNOWS EVERYTHING!!!
Please just try thinking… for FIVE MINUTES.
“God waits so as many people as possible have the opportunity to choose
salvation first.” Why not just *grant* ‘salvation’ in the first place and
END SUFFERING FOREVER?? Again, PLEASE THINK. If your God behaves as you say
he does, he’s unspeakably evil.
The problem with words like both “spirituality” and “evil,” is that as an
atheist or even pluralist you have to sufficiently unpack them, for either
a theist or fellow atheist to understand what you mean when you use them.
I’ve read your new book Sam. I Agree with the premise, but still meet with
raised eyebrows when I express interest in “spirituality” at my secular
group.
I am a spiritual atheist.
Sam Harris should feel embarrassed for wanting to reclaim “spirituality”,
because it doesn’t mean what he wants it to mean. I’m not convinced by
anyone’s religious metaphysics, but I’m also not convinced by Sam Harris’s
apparent love of nonsense like the “enlightenment” to be found in
meditation or psychedelic drugs. There may be value in altered states of
consciousness, but it’s not “enlightenment” and it’s not connecting you
with the universe.
One day, Sam Harris should probably decide whether he wants to be a
full-time scientist or a full-time quack, because right now, he’s doing
both.
*Its not easy to describe spirituality or enlightenment in a world full of
doctrines. Im glad to see that Sam is developing this kind of awareness.
Thoughts and ideas transcend beyond the physical world. Jesus, Buddha,
Gandhi, Osho and many more were aware of this, but its hard for occidental
culture to grasp these terms, just look at oriental culture and how well
they understand what it means to be selfless, to be one with all.*
Words and symbols are subject to each person’s own interpretation. 911
causes some people to think about New York and other people will think
emergency hot line or police officers. Spirituality, enlightenment, god,
love and all these wishy washy feel goody words don’t amount to how
important they can impact your life. I think Sam is wasting his time with
this, but then again I’m wasting more time by writing this comment and YOU
are wasting time by reading this comment lol.
I completely agreed with Sam until he said he wanted to keep the word
“evil”. I don’t think the word has any place in a sincere discussion of
reality. The universe is in a constant state of flux – breaking down
current structures and replacing them with more sophisticated ones.
If you or your loved ones happen to be caught by a concentrated entropic
force – say, a homicidal maniac or a tornado – then that will *seem* evil
to us on a personal level. As far as the universe is concerned it’s just
entropy. Collateral damage.
By all means avoid or contain entropic forces for the sake of survival, but
there’s nothing especially deep or dark about it. Some people are sick in
the head, full stop, be it through faulty brain operation or misprogramming
(“bad ideas”, which in turn negatively affect brain chemistry and function).
“Stuff happens” and will always happen. If the universe didn’t break down
and rebuild then nothing would develop. Just that it’s no fun when “stuff
happens” to you. Sadly, it always does in the end. Nobody gets out of here
alive.
i consider myself fairly in tune with my spirituality. and it is sad that
if i actually said that out loud, there might be 5% of people that
understand. the other 95% will jump to ridicule. especially with me being a
boy. people jump to assumptions that i am gay or something because
spirituality is perceived as a feminine quality. probably because there is
a strict guy code of being tough and senseless means being an alpha
character. and i can guarantee you that the guys who act like that are full
of shit. if there is one thing i know, it’s that those 95% people who
ridicule this notion are followers. they are not their own person. instead
they think they should be exactly what everyone else thinks of them. on the
other hand i view people who are spiritual to be stronger, smarter people.
to me it is a tell sign that they think for themselves, are more confident,
and in tune with who they actually are. typically leading to a happier,
healthier lifestyle.
This man is going to be in the history books. Mark my words. He’s
brilliant. A lot of people are bothered by his lack of belief in free will,
but the idea is much more humbling and liberating (how paradoxical) if
people take it for eye-opening truth rather than freedom-hindering science.
Just because New Agers are wrong doesn’t mean perspective isn’t everything
Remember kids, do drugs and yoga and get some wicked sick enlightenment
going on.
In order for us to find a suitable word we need to begin having serious
dialogue on these issues, without bringing religion into the mix. We spend
a majority of our time chastising religion and dogma instead of having
serious discussions on humanistic ideals. Everyone is on a different page
now. Everyone has their own interpretation of what it means to be
‘spiritual’. Words are useless without us coming to a consensus on what we
want the words to mean, and I don’t think its possible to come to a
consensus until we stop bickering.
One could used the word “enlightened.” I think that would work just as
well.
As for “evil,” I don’t think anyone perceives it as being only a religious
concept. When people referred to terrorists or serial killers as “evil,”
no one thinks they mean that they have demonic powers.
I think Sam recognizes that human beings for the most part are hard wired
to believe in a power greater than themselves. It brings comfort to the
fragile and fearful human psyche. I respect him for trying to redirect this
need into a more positive and progressive expression.
While I give him praise for his efforts and would like to see the word
spirituality actually mean something concrete it seems a pretty tall order
imo. If you ask 10 different people what the word spirituality means
you’re going to get 10 very different answers, and words that can mean
anything in reality mean nothing. But who knows maybe he can find a way,
here’s to hoping.
Jed Mckenna. TAT foundation. Tony Parsons. Art Tickor. Liberation
Unleashed. August Turak.
This guy seems to be a charlatan and doesnt actually discuss anything of
real depth or value. I agree with others – if you’re a scientist then go
back to doing scientific things and not trying to sound “spiritual” or “new
age”. That was the 1960s…
spirituality is still saying you exist outside your physical body, in your
spirit, which is still dogmatic.
why not just replace it with moral? sounds precise to me.
Well said Sam. I myself, have had a difficult time finding a word other
than “spiritual.” in one sense it doesn’t matter. Let people think what
they’re going to think. But in another, your point is well taken.
“Positively contemplative” sounds pretty good to desribe this.
Let’s just fuse the words together… Posemplative. The new word for
“spiritual” minus all the magical baggage. If you like the word, use it,
popularise it :)
I have just the utmost and highest respect for Sam Harris. I am against the
use of drugs and am well aware he is a regular psychedelic user, yet his
composure and goal in life is so simple yet so great it is hard not to
respect him. He has truly inspired me, I love to hear him talk about
trivial things, such as the English language, because he makes it
interesting.
“Everything we do is for the purpose of altering consciousness. We form
friendships so that we can feel certain emotions, like love, and avoid
others, like loneliness. We eat specific foods to enjoy their fleeting
presence on our tongues. We read for the pleasure of thinking another
person’s thoughts.”
― Sam Harris
A spiritual materialist is a contradiction in terms…
Sam in case you didn’t notice, logical positivism has been debunked like at
least 60 years ago
+Sam Harris wants to be better than Yeshua/Jesus…
Use a more descriptive and apt word, instead of a word designed to be a
marketing gimmick.
I published an article that said similar things abut spirituality about 18
months ago (in The Skeptic, here in the UK) :D
It all sounds like woo to me. It doesn’t matter how many times you chuck
words like “psychology” in, if the initial premise of “special revelations”
is faulty.
Evil is a word for slave morality. Healthy people do not have a concept of
evil, only of ‘bad’
Sam Harris waste so much time on this. Ultimately pretty pointless.
Redefining a word wouldn’t accomplish a thing. On the contrary, you need to
lose language altogether to pursue the spiritual path.
I similar to the classical Greek view of spirituality. The idea that it is
something of this life. It’s like well-being for life.
I don’t think spirituality and religion are the same thing at all. I’m a
very spiritual person but I’m not a religious person. Psychology, to me, is
the word we use to talk about how the general population’s mind works.
Spirituality is something very similar but it’s at a very personal level.
It would be putting in words my feelings towards something, a situation or
someone etc… For example, if I saw 2 homeless men and I could give my
last dollar to only one them, I’d trust my feelings to make a that choice.
It wouldn’t be a rational choice because I don’t know any of the two
homeless guys.
It’s basically trusting your gut feeling and the study of one’s self, at
the root, if I may say so.
People may or may not agree, I don’t give a shit.
Much respect to sam Harris. his elegance is astonishing
I think one of the biggest problems lies within the languages we use as a
species. Personally I’m bilingual and have a good understanding of many
other languages and it seems like today our scientific knowledge has
progressed so much faster than our ability to express new and important
ideas in a concise manner. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the feeling of
thinking/understanding something much faster than we could express it
through language. As a species we need a unifying language at some point
and not only that, but a language which excludes ambiguous and opinionated
meanings such as ‘evil’ and ‘spirituality’. Don’t get me wrong these words
do hold a strong and often very meaningful poetic value, but in everyday
language they cause more conflict of ideas between people who are in fact
perhaps in agreement with one another. At least a unifying language would
allow for a much greater sharing of knowledge and education. I count myself
lucky to speak English as my first language. As english speaking people we
have so much access to knowledge. Even German speaking people often have
problems coming by important issues and new scientific knowledge. I’m not
saying they’re in the dark as such, but from my own experiences the general
German speaking population are not as well informed as the English speaking
world which to me personally was quite shocking, not that there was a huge
difference, but it was noticeable which only makes me wonder how people who
speak even more unique languages are informed as a population.
This is the first time Sam Harris has ever confused me.