Beyond the Material and the Mundane: Spirituality and Transcending

Abstract

In this paper I explore whether the concept of spirituality can have meaning for me as a secular individual. I begin by arguing that existing attempts to translate the idea of spirituality into secular terms are problematic in a number of ways. Nonetheless, I go on to argue that there is value in some of the ideas invoked in its name, in particular the concept of transcendence. We are beings who go beyond our material situation. We are able to imagine the future, envision possibilities, create ideals, and also to instantiate some of these possibilities, to realize some of these ideals through creative action.