Practicing Transcendence Axial Age Spiritualities for a World in Cri
This book introduces readers to the concept of the Axial Age and its relevance for a world in crisis. Scholars have become increasingly interested in philosopher Karl Jaspers’ thesis that a spiritual revolution in consciousness during the first millennium
- PDF / 4,559,983 Bytes
- 357 Pages / 433.701 x 612.283 pts Page_size
- 18 Downloads / 177 Views
P R A C T I C I N G T R A N S C E N D E N C E
A XIAL AG E SPIRITUALITIES FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS
Practicing Transcendence “The greatest merit of Christopher Peet’s book is that it introduces a new, academically-grounded concept of the Axial Age and its place in world history in a way that is accessible to a wider audience. The general reader and professionals in the humanities and social sciences will equally find this book a really exciting read, a true intellectual journey.” —Dmitri M. Bondarenko, Director of the International Center of Anthropology, National Research University, Russia “Christopher Peet has done a remarkable job of bringing together this complex history in lucid prose. He presents a new perspective on the key idea of transcendence that emerged in the axial age, which marks ‘the Axial road not taken,’ undervalued by ‘Big religion’ as well as scholars thus far. Most notably, he reveals how transcendence needs to be understood not simply as an idea, but as living spiritual practices bodied forth by visionaries in small communities then, and just as available as vital resources now. The self-transcending self, as the practical aim of a variety of axial spiritual practices, remains a viable and potent path to offset our power-centered civilization today.” —Eugene Halton, Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame, USA “The Axial Age—the period from 800 B.C.E. to 200 B.C.E., when the religiophiloso-phic foundations of the world religions were created—has over the past several decades been the subject of a burgeoning literature in history, civilization studies, sociology, and political science. In Practicing Transcendence: Axial Age Spiritualities for a World in Crisis, Christopher Peet provides a masterful synthesis of the now vast literature relating to the Axial Age. His interpretation emphasizes the visionary ways in which figures of the Axial Age in China, India, Israel, and Greece responded to crises in the civilizations of their times. The esteem previously accorded to the famous works of S.N. Eisenstadt and Robert N. Bellah must now be shared with Peet’s contribution; his work is truly indispensable to future scholarship on the Axial Age. Peet bookends his analysis with an introduction and conclusion highlighting the pertinence of Axial Age visions and practices to the crisis of civilization that we, citizens of global society, experience today with the growing assaults on our shared environment.” —Victor Lidz, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Drexel University College of Medicine, USA
Christopher Peet
Practicing Transcendence Axial Age Spiritualities for a World in Crisis
Christopher Peet The King’s University Edmonton, AB, Canada
ISBN 978-3-030-14431-9 ISBN 978-3-030-14432-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14432-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2019932957 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, s
Data Loading...
