Pragmatic Spirituality

A collection of the writings by one of the most influential African American theologians.

This book explores border crossing among pragmatism, spirituality and society. It opens up American pragmatism to dialogues with pragmatism and spiritual quest from other traditions such as India and China thus making contemporary pragmatism a part of much needed planetary conversations. It cultivates new visions and practices of spiritual pragmatism building upon the seminal works of Charles Sanders Pierce, William James, Sri Aurobindo, John Dewey, Martin Heidegger, Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Luce Irigaray which can help us rethink and transform conventional conceptions and constructions of practice, pragmatism, language, religion, politics, society, culture and democracy and create new relationships of pragmatism, spirituality and society.

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.

Are you a spiritual explorer? For over three years, Patricia Gomavitz has channeled pragmatic spiritual concepts through a series of nightly messages from the causal entity Joseph, and in this book, she shares those teachings with you the same way Joseph has given them to her: one word at a time. Each night the message begins: “Good evening. We are here with you.” Joseph then elaborates on a word of their choice-struggle, gratitude, faith, and many more-illuminating the spiritual implications of each word, and how you might apply this knowledge to improve your everyday life. As an entity that exists on the causal plane, Joseph has an exalted vantage point from which to offer advice for life here on the physical plane as well as insights to what lies beyond. Joseph has provided these incredibly rich and complex spiritual teachings in an easily accessible format with straightforward language and an eye toward the practicality of understanding such concepts so that they may be used. If you are searching for teachings that resonate, you likely have a vibrational curiosity that allows for this study, a drive Patricia is familiar with as a life-long spiritual explorer. She knows what it’s like to yearn for teachings that fit like a key in a lock, and she hopes that all who are receptive to the information offered here will find it naturally, and be uplifted. The student discovers the teacher when he is ready to learn, and if you are drawn to this book and its wisdom, Joseph just may be the teacher you seek. From antiquity, the great spiritual masters have—each in their own way—uniquely articulated the one common thread that is found in every sacred text, irrespective of the faith; that we are all a part of something far greater than ourselves, and that when we are open to It, we receive impeccable and comforting guidance and wisdom. In A Nightly Word, Pat Gomavitz proves she is listening and she graciously shares a sacred continuum of thoughts, beliefs, and ideas that will enrich your life and make the world a better place. (Re)Defining Moments - Becoming Who You Were Born to Be”

Spiritual Pragmatism deals with the advancement of human consciousness in light of the current political paradigm in the world at the present time. This book offers an overview of certain political issues in light of changing human consciousness and provides a few solutions to some of the issues humanity is eventually going to have to come to terms with as our species consciousness advances. Spiritual Pragmatism takes a hard look into mass psychology and explains what is at the root of many of the problems we face worldwide, and specifically explains how a change in human consciousness can alter the world for the better. This book is not an exhaustive study but offers guidelines and serious food for thought in regard to advancing human cognitive awareness. Continuing in the tradition of the books in The Evolution of Consciousness series, this companion volume to the series leaves it incumbent on the reader to delve more deeply into the subject matter presented in this book if they desire more comprehensive understanding of the issues raised. Most people in the modern spiritual movement in the West are completely unaware of the political ties modern spirituality has with the traditions of Theosophy and its intimate links with Fabian Socialism, Marxism and Capitalism. This book takes the reader down the dark rabbit hole of these connections to prove that there is more to the modern spiritual movement than meets the eye. Everyone interested in more pragmatic spiritual understanding needs to be acquainted with these facts in order to make their own informed conscious choices in regard to what spirit road they choose to travel.

First published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This distinctive collection of classical and contemporary readings comes at a time when pragmatism is undergoing a renaissance across a spectrum of disciplines. Pragmatism and Religion addresses an important but overlooked issue: whether or not the deep passions and commitments of American pragmatism's central figures are independent of Western religious traditions. The first of the book's three sections samples pragmatism's religious roots. "Classical Sources" includes works by John Winthrop, Jonathan Edwards, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as Charles Sanders Peirce's "Evolutionary Love," William James's "Philosophy" (chapter 18 of The Varieties of Religious Experience), and selections by John Dewey, W. E. B. Du Bois, John McDermott, and Richard Rorty. Part 2, "Contemporary Essays on the American Tradition of Religious Thought," features Richard Bernstein's "Pragmatism's Common Faith," Stuart Rosenbaum's "Morality and Religion," and Robert Westbrook's "Uncommon Faith," among others. Part 3, "Theism, Secularism, and Religion: Seeking a Common Faith" includes Raymond D. Boisvert's "What Is Religion?" Sandra B. Rosenthal's "Spirituality and the Spirit of American Pragmatism," Carl Vaught's "Dewey's Conception of the Religious Dimension of Experience," and Steven C. Rockefeller's "Faith and Ethics in an Interdependent World," among others. Stuart Rosenbaum's contemporary contributors are among the best in the fields of pragmatism and pragmatism in religion. A unique resource, Pragmatism and Religion will serve students of religion, history, and philosophy, as well as those in interdisciplinary core courses.

This volume includes a section on spirituality and hope that brings together theoreticists and practitioners who present original research on this important topic. Alongside this section are papers presenting studies on civic participation, suffering with God and spirituality.