Mystical experience as universal connectedness: Leonardo Boff's ‘trans‐cultural phenomenology’
Journal of Contemporary Religion May 1, 2004 DOI: 10.1080/1353790042000207683 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe article examines the post-1992 writings of Brazilian religious thinker Leonardo Boff. It outlines Boff's critique of the dominant global market paradigm, which he sees as guided by liberal capitalist values and in crisis. Boff draws on the 'new science' paradigm to offer fresh understandings of relations between the sacred, the self, and the universe. The article explores Boff's view of mystical experience as universal connectedness, informed by this paradigm and emerging from his 'trans-cultural phenomenological' reading of religious discourse and practice.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Sociology Philosophy |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Argues that Leonardo Boff's post-1992 writings use the 'new science' paradigm to develop an understanding of mystical experience as universal connectedness. |
Abstract
This article engages with the post-1992 (Rio Earth Summit) writings of Leonardo Boff, one of the most prolific and widely read Brazilian writers in the religious field today. The article first outlines Boff's understanding of the prevailing global market paradigm, guided by 'liberal capitalist' values and at the point of crisis. Boff's appreciation of the emergent 'new science' paradigm as providing conceptual impetus to fresh understandings of relations between the sacred, the self, and the universe is then delineated. The understanding of mystical experience as universal connectedness, informed by the 'new science' paradigm and emerging from Boff's 'trans-cultural phenomenological' reading of religious discourse and practice, is subsequently explored in depth.