Spirituality, Diversion, and Decadence: The Contemporary PredicamentThis book presents a philosophical rethinking of the meaning and nature of spiritual discipline. It offers a new way of describing and justifying practices like praying, meditating, fasting, and yoga, and it provides an innovative case for their contemporary importance. Spiritual discipline is especially effective at combatting Pascalian diversion, the pursuit of activities that occupy the mind just enough to avoid thinking about important things; and Nietzschean decadence, the proclivity for extirpating instinctive drives instead of satisfying or sublimating them. In addition to overcoming diversion and decadence in contemporary consumerist culture, VanNess recommends spiritual discipline as a means of political resistance to powerful institutions which seek to exercise social control in democratic societies by promulgating addictive patterns of consumption. Finally, he argues that regimens of spiritual discipline can serve healthful and liberating purposes, and generally promote fullness of life, only insofar as they are shaped by an ethos of intellectual criticism and aesthetic experimentation. |
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action activity adopt ascetic become behavior believe biological body called cause chapter character Christ Christian claim classical Clement complex conception consistently contemporary context creative criticism describing distinctive effect embodied equilibration especially example experience expression forces forms fullness give given Greek habits helpful Hence historical human ideal ideas identified important individual instance integrity intellectual interpretation knowledge language less living logical meaning moral natural Nietzsche Nietzsche's notion objects offered one's organisms paradox Pascal persons philosophical physical physical law political prayer predicament present principle promote provides rational reality reason reference reflection regarded regimens relation relevant religion religious says scientific seek self-reference sense signs social solitude sort specific spiritually disciplined practices strategy structure symmetry theme theological theory things thought traditional trans transformation truth understanding University Press values vision vitality whole writings York
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Spirituality, Diversion, and Decadence: The Contemporary Predicament S U N Y Series in Religious Studies SUNY series in religion Suny Series, Human Communication Processes |
| Author | Peter Higbie Van Ness |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | SUNY Press, 1992 |
| ISBN | 0791412059, 9780791412053 |
| Length | 350 pages |
| Subjects | › Religion / General Religion / Spirituality |
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