“Wild Beasts of the Philosophical Desert”: Religion, Science, and Spirituality in a Post-secular Age

Abstract

This article explores the popular genre of “spirituality and science” against the backdrop of the dominant religion-secular-science classifications. Science has come to exemplify secularity in the modern social imaginary, clearly differentiated from, and often in a conflictual relationship with, religion. The power and prestige of techno-science, tightly linked to the narrative of modern secular progress, helps to secure its claims to capturing what is real and true—over against religion that has increasingly lost traction on claims to the real. This article explores some representative figures in the genre of science and spirituality, considering the aims, dominant themes, and authorizing strategies of their writings. I argue that this largely grassroots movement challenges the dominant meanings and relations among religion, secular, and science in its quest to articulate an integrated vision. It turns to new scientific thinking, including quantum physics and biological sciences, and mystical experience to articulate an empirically grounded, and scientifically inflected and supported, spirituality. Through a series of cases, I show the variety within this popular genre that is challenging both traditional religion and modern secular science. Developing the optics, vocabularies, and sensibilities to make sense of these proliferating hybrid cultural formations remains a fundamental challenge.