Verticality as Non-Religious Spirituality
Issue: Vol 16 No. 2 (2013)
Journal: Implicit Religion
Subject Areas: Religious Studies
Abstract:
Spirituality is often perceived as a synonym for religion. In this article, I would like to point to some alternative definitions of spirituality grounded in Max Scheler’s philosophical anthropology. Scheler states that the essence of a human being is not exhausted by practical intelligence, as though it was the culmination of a gradational anthropology. The distinctive principle characterizing the human way of being, is “the spirit” (der Geist). At the centre of its various manifestations is a person, with its freedom, its “openness to the world.” Spirituality can therefore become a symbol of searching for the meaning of life. Thus, the spiritual dimension (also called the vertical dimension, in the light of “deep” ideas and “high” ideals) of human life, represents an area for the development of our potential. The paper outlines this understanding of spirituality, and explores in particular its connection with sport and education.
Author: Ivo Jiràsek
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