The Transcendent Dimension
Andrew Briggs, Michael J. Reiss
Human Flourishing October 18, 2021 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198850267.003.0004 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe text explores the concept of the transcendent—moments when people feel transported beyond everyday life, experiencing joy, meaning, or connection. It notes that some describe this in terms of their relationship with God, while Nietzsche viewed it as self-perfection through self-transcendence. Feelings of ecstasy are linked to endorphin production. The text contrasts scientism, which holds that only what science can study is real, with religious perspectives that see the transcendent as pointing to a world to come.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Describes the transcendent as experiences of joy, meaning, or connection, noting different interpretations including religious, Nietzschean self-perfection, and the role of endorphins in ecstasy, while contrasting scientism with religious views of a world to come. |
Abstract
For most of us, there are times when we feel transported beyond the everyday, when we feel a burst of joy or a sense that there is great meaning to life, that everything is connected or that, somehow, all is well. This is an appreciation of the transcendent. Some describe their experience of the transcendent in terms of their relationship with God. Nietzsche explored the idea of self-transcendence, which he saw as self-perfection. The transcendent can be experienced in various ways. Feelings of ecstasy are associated with the production of endorphins. The assertion that what can be studied by science constitutes the only reality is known as scientism, a relation of reductionism. In contradistinction to this, many religions see the transcendent as pointing towards a world to come.