From the Natural Self-Orgnizaton of Religion to the Modern Magical Realism of the Religious Experience
Abreu Pederzini Gerardo
Academicus : International Scientific Journal 2019 DOI: 10.7336/academicus.2019.20.05 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that religion is best explained as a sui generis natural phenomenon, one stage in broader processes of self-organization. The author proposes that science and modern society have changed some expressions of religious experience while religion keeps its capacity to self-organize societies, and presents the "magical realist society" as a modern secular expression of religion that copes with science through modernity and capitalism. |
Abstract
Religion is a powerful phenomenon arising in and from society. Various efforts have been done to understand religion as a natural phenomenon, which could be framed in the language of science. In this paper, I forward a sui generis approach to the naturality of religion, where religion is explained as one of the next stages in broader natural processes of self-organization. Furthermore, having framed like this the naturality of the religious experience, the paper explores the contemporary debate of current religious expressions. It is suggested that the arrival of science and the modern society have changed some expressions of religious experiences; while, nonetheless, keeping their capacity to self-organize societies. The magical realist society, as the society capable of disguising the magic of religion within the realism of the scientific ethos, is presented and discussed as a modern secular expression of religion, capable to cope with the challenges of science through the dynamics of modernity and capitalism.