Pragmatism, Spirituality and Society : New Pathways of Consciousness, Freedom and Solidarity

"In the West, pragmatism tends to have the dismal reputation of being humdrum and tied to status quo politics. But this book is anything but humdrum. It injects into the topic a welcome, uplifting elan by showing its connection with idealism, spirituality and religious faith. I think Dewey would have been pleased." --Fred Dallmayr, Emeritus Faculty, University of Notre Dame, USA "One of the hardest things to do in the world today is to reach out to multiple communities and perspectives whose voices are disparate and seemingly irreconcilable. This book has taken us on this hard journey here with attention to the practical yet spiritual aspects of the search for freedom and solidarity." --David Blake Willis, Professor of anthropology and education, Fielding Graduate University, USA "This rich collection of essays reminds us that genuine spirituality bears cultural and social fruits. The book invites one to consider thought-provoking ways of articulating spiritual life with the common good in our world of confusion and conflicts." --Patrick Laude, Professor, Georgetown University, Doha, Qatar This book explores the dynamics of interaction between pragmatism and spirituality in the constitution and working of consciousness, freedom and solidarity. This book is cross-cultural and transdisciplinary in nature and brings critical and transformative perspectives from different philosophical and spiritual traditions of the world. It discusses the works of seminal thinkers such as William James, Rudolf Steiner, John Dewey, Swami Vivekananda, Martin Heidegger, Claude Levi-Strauss, Jordan Peterson, Slavos Zizek, Paul Valeri and O.V. Vijayan. It also explores dialogues between pragmatism and other philosophical and intellectual traditions such as Semiotics, Saiva Siddhanta, Vedanta, Trika Shaivism and Tantra. It explores themes such as pragmatism and belief, evolution of consciousness and happiness, spiritual pragmatism and economics of solidarity, value levels democracy, the perforamtive as an aspect of spirituality and transformation of political theology from Kingdom of God to Gardens of God Foreword Preface Contents Notes on Editor and Contributors List of Figures List of Tables 1 Pragmatism, Spirituality and Society: An Introduction and Invitation to New Pathways of Consciousness, Freedom and Solidarity References Part I Pragmatism, Spirituality and Society: Consciousness, Freedom and Solidarity 2 Pragmatism and Belief Introduction The Pioneers of Pragmatism Contemporary Pragmatism Some Concluding Thoughts References 3 Pragmatism, Consciousness and Spirituality: William James and Rudolf Steiner James’s Pragmatic Approach to Religious and Psychic Experience Concluding Comparisons and Contrasts References 4 Pragmatic Non-Duality in William James, Swāmī Vivekānanda and Trika Shaivism References 5 Peterson vs. Žižek on the Evolution of Consciousness and Happiness: From Pragmatism to Sarkar’s Tantra Peterson’s Christian Pragmatism and the Devolution of Consciousness Tantra’s Response to Žižek’s Critique of Indian Spirituality Sarkar’s Tantric Evolution of Consciousness: A Pragmatic Understanding of Happiness References 6 Spirituality, Pragmatism, Vedanta and Universal Consciousness: A Study of the Philosophy of R. Balasubramanian Advaita Vedanta and the Metaphysics of Spirituality Spirituality and Pragmatics Integral Spiritualism The Spiritual Man Spirituality and Universal Consciousness Empirical Pluralism and Transcendental Monism Conclusion 7 A Quantum Bridge Between Science and Spirituality: Toward a New Geometry of Consciousness Some Symbols of New Geometry Plus, Multiplication and Spiral (+, X, Spiral) Languages as Geometry of Consciousness Seven Tempers of Mind: Rainbow Model of Consciousness—from Awareness to Awakening Expressions of Consciousness in Human Society: From Fight to Fullness Π φ ψ Sky Dialectical Chakra, Horizontal-Vertical Analytics and Whirlpool/Spiral Geometry Shunya, Matrix and Spiral Western Windows, Eastern Doors and Consciousness Corridors Science and Spirituality Connections Through Geometry of Consciousness: Toward a Bridge Between ‘God Particle’ and the ‘Shunya Particle’ END to END Connectivity Through Quantum Bridge Application to Social and Management Thought References 8 Freedom, Spiritual Praxis and Categorical Imperative 9 Spiritual Pragmatism and an Economics of Solidarity The Nature of Solidarity Economy References 10 Pragmatism and Socio-Political Movement Toward Solidarity Establishing the Pragmatist’s Account of Rationality An Overview of What’s Ahead LiKEN FUNDAEC Emergence, Structure and Agency Movement Toward Intellectual Solidarity References Part II Pragmatism and Spirituality: Reconstructing Language, Self and the World 11 ‘Pragmatic Metaphysics: Language as a Battlefield Between Truth and Darkness’: An Interpretive Approach to the View on Language, Truth and World in the Philosophy of Śaiva Siddhānta—In the Light of Heidegger’s ‘Being and Time’ Introduction Heidegger: Hermeneutics of Being Śaiva Siddhānta as a Distinct Philosophy Within Indian Philosophy Creation of the World of Objects and Words Śaiva Siddhānta: Being, Non-being and ‘Nothingness’ Different Aspect of Being The World of Non-being The Opening of Time Āṇava Maḷa: The Cause of Non-being Śakti—The Potency Between Being and Nothingness The Being of Self as Openness Truth in the State of Bondage Sphota: The Potency of Language Metaphysics of Language The Fall: Closing of Openness Conclusion References 12 Monistic Elements in Lévi-Strauss’s Structuralism: New Pathways of Consciousness, Pragmatism and Spirituality Introduction and Invitation Understanding Lévi-Strauss’s Structuralism Monism, Pragmatism and Spirituality References 13 Action, Language, Art, and Mysticism as Reflection-Levels of an Alternative Semiotics and the Spiritual Perspective of a Value-Levels-Democracy Semiotics and Action Theory The Hypothesis of Four Great Semiotic Levels A New Deal of Linguistics and Philosophy: Reflection-Logical Universal Deep Structures Art: The Meta-Language Beyond the Languages Mysticism and Spiritual Philosophy: Making the Infinity-Relation Explicit The Model of a Value-Levels-Democracy The Indispensable Spiritual Dimension of Integral Democratic Institutions References 14 Paul Valéry “Mystique sans Dieu”: Writing as a Spiritual Practice? From Existential Crisis to Writing: A Spiritual Scenario Language, esprit, Creation 15 Spirituality of Action: Reading O. V. Vijayan’s Khasakkinte Ithihasam and Gurusagaram Through William James’ Concept of Religion Introduction: The Concept Spirituality through James and Vijayan Spirituality into Action Once Born and the Twice Born Subtleness of Spiritual Action References 16 Is Homing Spiritual Praxis? References 17 Performative as the Language of Pragmatism: A Reading of Indian Spirituality Philosophizing as Dialogical Inquiry: Absence and Presence of Spirituality Dialogue as Performative Act: An Inquiry Concerning the Universality of the Self The Language of Spirituality: Self and Its Performatives Spiritual Pragmatism and Philosophy of Spirit The Culture of Spirituality and Its Critiques References 18 Gardens of God: Spiritual Pragmatism and Transformation of Religion, Politics, Self and Society Introduction and Invitation: From Kingdom of God to Gardens of God Gardens of God: Overcoming Power and Violence and Cultivating a New Relational Praxis and a New Advaita (Non-duality) Gardens of God: From Ramrajya (Kingdom of Ram) to Ramvana (Garden of Ram) Gardens of God, Gardening with God: Spiritual Pragmatism and Transformation of Religion, Politics, Self and Society References Index