Poster Presentations

Introduction In the twentieth century, pessimistic philosophy emerged as a response to rapid social, industrial, and technological changes. Peter Wessel Zapffe, one of the leading figures of this movement, emphasized fundamental human tragedy and over-consciousness, warning that premature reflection on the world’s absurdity could threaten individual and societal well-being. Historical evidence demonstrates that uncritical interpretation or distortion of philosophical works can be exploited as instruments of power and destruction, as seen in the manipulation of Nietzsche’s writings and the dissemination of toxic cultural ideologies. Zarvanian philosophy, through its framework of “balanced awareness”, posits that tragedy and suffering are not threats but potential sources of creation and innovation. This article examines Zapffe’s philosophy, historical cases of intellectual misuse, and the Zarvanian alternative, providing a practical and philosophical approach to managing tragedy, pessimism, and toxic ideologies. Abstract: This article critically examines Peter Wessel Zapffe’s pessimistic philosophy and explores the social consequences of uncritical interpretations of his works. Historical evidence shows that the distortion of philosophical works and the propagation of toxic ideologies—such as the manipulation of Nietzsche by Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche or misreadings of Gramsci—can lead to social isolation, despair, and the suppression of creativity. In response, Zarvanian philosophy offers a preventive framework based on “balanced awareness”, which transforms tragedy and suffering into creative energy and rational insight, enhances individual and collective creativity, and prevents ideological misuse. The article demonstrates that combining rigorous philosophical analysis, ethical guidelines, and continuous reflection provides a practical approach to mitigating the threats posed by pessimistic philosophy and toxic ideological currents. Keywords: Zapffe, pessimistic philosophy, over-consciousness, Zarvanian philosophy, balanced awareness, toxic ideologies, philosophical distortion “Ahura Mazda commands bounded time to move, and material creation begins.” …Zurvan contains all qualities within himself… …. He transcends both being and non-being, both light and darkness, both good and evil. Within him are contained both the seed of existence and the power of destruction. He is the universal essence who encompasses both existence and non-existence... …When Ahura Mazda (fearing the power of Ahriman) sought assistance, he realized that Ahriman would never reconcile with any mediator of light. Thus, Time belongs to both, and in guiding and rightly directing the world, both are dependent upon it….

This paper begins with a summary of my dissertation topic as currently envisioned: a comparison of three theoretical frameworks (Nichiren Buddhism, neuroscience, and archetypal cosmology / depth psychology) from the standpoint of their efficacy in elucidating and supporting the possibility of inner-motivated, self-directed, personal transformation, understood as a creator of social change. Course readings (by Bateson, Bernstein, Gergen, Morin, Slater, Stewart and Bennett, and Sztompka) and a video (by Curtis) are discussed and compared, and their usefulness in helping me perceive and assess my own, socially-created approach to my dissertation, and to my life, is considered. Keywords: Buddhism, social construction, pragmatism, pragmatic fallibilism, feminism, social transformation.

Draft of entry for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Apophatic Theology, 2024

Apophatic theology is relevant to Christian spirituality today as a form of Christological ascetico-mysticism. This entry demonstrates the spiritual pertinence of Dionysius the Areopagite's apophatic theology through its connections to Scriptural Christologies and its opposition to specific formations of the self in the context of neoliberal capitalism. Studies of 2 nd Temple apocalypticism and early Jewish mysticisms facilitate bringing New Testament Christologies and the Areopagite's theology into surprising focus. They show that certain New Testament Christologies are forms of apophatic mysticism and the Areopagite's apophatic theology is a Christological mysticism. For both, the crucified Christ is the incomprehensible and anthropomorphic theophany revealed in the heavenly and ecclesial liturgies and the incorporating body of deification. Apophatic theology, therefore, is ascetical life in which Divine-Humanity is attained not only through the negation of concepts, but through the denial of the self. This asceticism contrasts with the entrepreneurial relationship to the self fostered by the cultural dominance of neoliberalism. The entry concludes that the self-as-entrepreneurial-project is the source of anxieties and despair characteristic of the present time but that the Christological unselving of apophatic theology may serve as a healing therapy for these same miseries.

God is No-thing: An Apophatic Assertion The Salvation for Humankind Revised, 2022

Usually, the social, relationship and environmental consequences of the dualist, rationalist vs non-dualist, transcendental perspective are not explored in depth. In fact, there is less exploration regarding the direct social consequences of the adoption of either perspective than the psychological and transformational aspects. Therefore, I want to use the excellent clear analysis of the modern Jewish philosopher and educator, Martin Buber and others, to show that whichever of the two perspectives (Non-Dualist/Dualist) one predominately adopts, there are significant relational consequences. Here is a good place to remind the reader that the Dualist and non-dualist perspectives are not exclusive from one another.

Abstract This study in time, past and future, examines the dynamics and effects that have shaped us. Errors of past eras are explained through the lens of the perennial wisdom of Eastern spirituality, covering a time when deception had reached its climax until there emerged a new awakening. During the 20th and 21st centuries, the time when madness ruled, monstrous elites seized power and explored the limits of technology over Nature. The exploitation of organic support systems led to a catastrophic destruction of life on Earth; but the passivity of all the victimized people stopped when they understood that they were living under an undeclared and unreported Nuclear War. A global intentional movement arose from the people. This movement was the result of a Spiritual awakening. The methods discussed describe the progressive power of the ancient yogic tradition of Kundalini Integral Yoga and the metaphor of chakras; both systems within the science of Integral Yoga. As compassionate human beings, became aware of the operation of their higher chakras, war on Earth was no longer supported, it ended. The corrupt fell into an expiatory spiritual crisis. This theory and its implementation can be described in numerous epistemologies—each stage can also be approached in terms of Organic Inquiry, Complex Systems Science, and Squiggle Science; and it can also be described using other theories. Though, it is significant to note that on this Earth there is no more hatred or killing anymore. In 2110, the functions of the mind are regarded as Divine entities, and each individual sees a Presence Divine in the other.

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

In qualitative research, the importance of knowledge production is illustrated by the confidence in logos, that still flags. Although there is significant attention for approaches that are inclusive to the body, affect and non-rational dimensions, these approaches still aim to generate understandings by the appropriation of knowledge. This paper critiques that view and proposes another view of inquiry that centers the praxis of living the questions instead. Here, research is seen as a gradual unfolding of a process. The quest that belongs with this view of research is concerned with how to make space for life phenomena to emerge. We frame this as apophatic inquiry, a non-methodology, as it is not a matter of applying activities in a set of steps. For apophatic inquiry, a process of unknowing and wonder is imperative. The paper discusses how to foster a triadic inter-beingness in a research praxis that fosters the calling forth of and reflection on phenomena. For that, the researcher...

I start by taking a look at four dualities--the Ultimate / the mundane; good / evil; the physical / the spiritual; and the individual self / everything else there is ("not self")--from both the Abrahamic and Buddhist perspectives: in particular, that of Nichiren / Lotus-Sutra Buddhism. I then take a look at problems that I believe derive, at their deepest level, from an ongoing failure to resolve those dualities. These problems are deeply serious, and underlie many of the crises that surround us today. Finally, I will consider how Buddhism might help lead the way out of this impasse. Its fundamental non-dualism, I claim, offers a powerful, alternative-to-the-Western-norm starting point for understanding and interacting with the world. It also supports Buddhism’s capacity to harmonize itself with Christianity and Islam—and Judaism, too—in ways that these Abrahamic traditions manifestly often have difficulty doing with each other, on their own.

European Journal of Psychoanalysis, 2022

In his new work Surplus Jouissance: A guide for the non-perplexed, Žižek states the spiritual plight of our situation: [We are saturated with] extreme right-wing conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic [and how they] get combined with New Age spirituality. Melissa Rein Lively's focus on wellness, natural health, organic food, yoga, ayurvedic healing, meditation, etc., led her into a violent rejection of vaccines as a source of dangerous contamination.

25th year commemorative souvenir SSOC Delhi , 2023

To comprehend the incomprehensible seems to be a futile enterprise. How could we approach and process something incomprehensible? ''I Think therefore I am'' wrote Descartes 1 , emphasizing enlightenment rationality. Comprehending and analyzing information or data is an essential part of cognitive human. We learn and unlearn several things during the course of our lives. Some are retained and some are lost. Scientific knowledge speaks to us about daily breakthroughs and empirical findings. The leap of knowledge is immense. However, as Paulos Mar Gregorios reminds us, ''Scientific knowledge is one of the biggest achievements of human reason. But it must not claim that it knows everything.'' 2 In Christian theology, especially from an Eastern perspective, there is a negative way of approaching knowledge. 3 Karl Rahner 4 explained that the mystery consists in being able to grasp rationally that the incomprehensible exists. And this is the highest act of human understanding. 5 Cataphatic theology proceeds by making affirmations about the nature of God. It may lead to some knowledge of God, but it would be an imperfect way because God is by his very nature unknowable. 6 On the other hand, apophatic or negative theology leads us ultimately to total ignorance, or rather it helps in gaining knowledge of incomprehensibility. We comprehend the incomprehensibility and recognize our limits. Apophaticism consists in negating that which God is not. 7 As Vladimir Lossky explains it, ''thus side by side with the negative way, the positive way ''cataphatic'' opens out. God Who is the hidden God beyond all that reveals Him, is also He