Conflicts and complexities: Medical science, exceptional experiences, and the perils of simplistic history
A. Sommer
Spirituality and Mental Health Across Cultures July 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1093/med/9780198846833.003.0004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the supposed inherent conflict between science and religion is not supported by current historical scholarship, which instead documents complex interactions. The chapter traces responses to spiritual and mystical experiences from the Enlightenment to modern psychology and contends that outdated conflict frameworks still influence contemporary scientific and medical research, including work on psychedelic experiences. |
Abstract
Despite ongoing polemical debates over the supposedly inherent opposition between science and religion, the current consensus in professional historical scholarship is that sweeping conflict narratives do not stand up to scrutiny. Where previous generations of historians of science and medicine often assumed intrinsic conflict, more recent investigations have instead demonstrated vast complexities. This chapter illustrates responses to exceptional or spiritual experiences from the Enlightenment to the professionalization of modern psychology. Noting recent clinical attention to spontaneous and psychedelically induced spiritual and mystical experiences, it concludes by considering the ongoing repercussions of outdated historical frameworks on scientific and medical practice and research.