Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic Tradition
Several thinkers among the Slavs and in the Orthodox East have been led by the vision of Sophia – integral wisdom. Sophiology is an effort to integrate different sources of knowledge: revelation, reason and sensory experience. Its intention is to overcome the split among the psychic components of th...
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| Formaat: | Artikel |
| Taal: | English |
| Gepubliceerd in: |
Society for Spirituality Studies
2015-05-01
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| Reeks: | Spirituality Studies |
| Onderwerpen: | |
| Online toegang: | http://www.spirituality-studies.org/dp-volume1-issue1-spring2015/#36 |
| _version_ | 1828757675692785664 |
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| author | Emil Páleš |
| author_facet | Emil Páleš |
| author_sort | Emil Páleš |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Several thinkers among the Slavs and in the Orthodox East have been led by the vision of Sophia – integral wisdom. Sophiology is an effort to integrate different sources of knowledge: revelation, reason and sensory experience. Its intention is to overcome the split among the psychic components of the human personality, which is echoed in the split among social processes and institutions. Such effort is of importance for the education of independent and morally responsible (wo)men and for the renewal of society’s weakened fundamental values.
Sophiology’s basic intuition is the unity of creation; nature and society are shaped by the same beings or principles that are manifested and also operate within the human soul. Thanks to this, one can understand the external world by drawing on one’s inner experience and vice versa, and give meaning to things by means of all-pervading analogies. This epistemological presupposition has been all but abandoned recently as a relic of a romantic or even older medieval way of thinking. In Slovakia, this has been reflected in the argument within the Štúrovci group concerning the principle of spiritual vision, which played a vital role in its Slavonic science project.
We shall demonstrate that knowledge of this kind is still possible. It is possible, for example, to understand and effectively predict cultural epochs in history from the sequence and contents of psychic configurations during the biographical development of an individual. Introspective observation of archetypes sheds light on the evolution of new species, which appear to be a somatization of these archetypes. Architecture can be derived from the shapes of the human body, specifically those organs associated with the qualities of the soul that prevail in a given historical period. The inwardly perceived effects of some metals correspond to their outward qualities. Therefore, developmental psychology and history, history and paleontology, architecture and anatomy, psychology and chemistry can be at least partly integrated.
The metaphysical basis of these connections and thus also the limits of the applicability of this approach are still controversial. It does provide, however, a number of advantages from a pedagogical point of view. Awareness of the links between nature, history and the intimate processes of the human psyche restores lost meaning to things, consolidates the consciousness of objective values and encourages responsibility by following the causation of things into the free core of the human personality. Synthetic knowledge also correlates significantly with creativity and independent judgment. By embedding knowledge in interconnections and ridding it of emotional neutrality it works in accordance with the natural functioning of memory and relieves it of the tiresome cramming of knowledge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T00:30:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-893af8e9e50b4550b87f8e2cad7d5eb2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1339-9578 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T00:30:29Z |
| publishDate | 2015-05-01 |
| publisher | Society for Spirituality Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Spirituality Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-893af8e9e50b4550b87f8e2cad7d5eb22022-12-22T01:27:22ZengSociety for Spirituality StudiesSpirituality Studies1339-95782015-05-01113775Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic TraditionEmil PálešSeveral thinkers among the Slavs and in the Orthodox East have been led by the vision of Sophia – integral wisdom. Sophiology is an effort to integrate different sources of knowledge: revelation, reason and sensory experience. Its intention is to overcome the split among the psychic components of the human personality, which is echoed in the split among social processes and institutions. Such effort is of importance for the education of independent and morally responsible (wo)men and for the renewal of society’s weakened fundamental values. Sophiology’s basic intuition is the unity of creation; nature and society are shaped by the same beings or principles that are manifested and also operate within the human soul. Thanks to this, one can understand the external world by drawing on one’s inner experience and vice versa, and give meaning to things by means of all-pervading analogies. This epistemological presupposition has been all but abandoned recently as a relic of a romantic or even older medieval way of thinking. In Slovakia, this has been reflected in the argument within the Štúrovci group concerning the principle of spiritual vision, which played a vital role in its Slavonic science project. We shall demonstrate that knowledge of this kind is still possible. It is possible, for example, to understand and effectively predict cultural epochs in history from the sequence and contents of psychic configurations during the biographical development of an individual. Introspective observation of archetypes sheds light on the evolution of new species, which appear to be a somatization of these archetypes. Architecture can be derived from the shapes of the human body, specifically those organs associated with the qualities of the soul that prevail in a given historical period. The inwardly perceived effects of some metals correspond to their outward qualities. Therefore, developmental psychology and history, history and paleontology, architecture and anatomy, psychology and chemistry can be at least partly integrated. The metaphysical basis of these connections and thus also the limits of the applicability of this approach are still controversial. It does provide, however, a number of advantages from a pedagogical point of view. Awareness of the links between nature, history and the intimate processes of the human psyche restores lost meaning to things, consolidates the consciousness of objective values and encourages responsibility by following the causation of things into the free core of the human personality. Synthetic knowledge also correlates significantly with creativity and independent judgment. By embedding knowledge in interconnections and ridding it of emotional neutrality it works in accordance with the natural functioning of memory and relieves it of the tiresome cramming of knowledge.http://www.spirituality-studies.org/dp-volume1-issue1-spring2015/#36sophiologyintegral scienceintegral educationslavonic tradition |
| spellingShingle | Emil Páleš Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic Tradition Spirituality Studies sophiology integral science integral education slavonic tradition |
| title | Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic Tradition |
| title_full | Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic Tradition |
| title_fullStr | Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic Tradition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic Tradition |
| title_short | Sophiology as an Example of Integral Science and Education in the Slavonic Tradition |
| title_sort | sophiology as an example of integral science and education in the slavonic tradition |
| topic | sophiology integral science integral education slavonic tradition |
| url | http://www.spirituality-studies.org/dp-volume1-issue1-spring2015/#36 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emilpales sophiologyasanexampleofintegralscienceandeducationintheslavonictradition |