Deriving the Spiritual from the Material: A Speculatively Realist Perspective

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you very much for your work on this profound philosophical exploration of Speculative Realism and its implications for understanding spirituality. Your paper presents a compelling and innovative approach to conceptualizing objects, relationships, and the interconnectedness of existence. The strengths of this work are particularly evident in your nuanced synthesis of various Speculative Realist perspectives, especially in developing the concept of "Sacred Realism."

One of the paper's most significant strengths is its ability to challenge traditional anthropocentric and correlationist philosophies by proposing a flat ontology that recognizes the spiritual aspects of all objects. Your engagement with philosophers like Graham Harman, Jane Bennett, and Quentin Meillassoux is both scholarly and creative, demonstrating a deep understanding of contemporary philosophical discourse. The exploration of conatus and the concept of objects as interconnected "wires" in a four-dimensional space is particularly intriguing and offers a fresh perspective on understanding reality.

However, there are a few areas where the paper could be further refined. The discussion of spirituality, while innovative, might benefit from more explicit clarification of how this concept differs from traditional religious or metaphysical understandings. Additionally, the mathematical analogies, particularly those involving Cantor's cardinalities, while fascinating, could be more explicitly linked to the philosophical arguments to ensure clarity for readers less familiar with advanced mathematical concepts.

The conclusion, which references Walt Whitman's poetry, beautifully captures the paper's essence of interconnectedness and individual significance. However, you might consider expanding on the practical implications of this philosophical approach. How might "Sacred Realism" inform our understanding of ethics, environmental relationships, or social interactions?

A minor suggestion would be to provide more explicit transitions between some of the more complex philosophical arguments to enhance the reader's navigational experience through the text. While the logic is sound, occasional readers might benefit from more signposting.

Overall, this is a significant contribution to contemporary philosophical thought, offering a provocative and sophisticated reimagining of how we understand objects, spirituality, and existence. Your work invites further exploration and dialogue, which is the hallmark of truly innovative scholarship.

All the best

Comments on the Quality of English Language

• Break down complex sentences into shorter, clearer statements
• Provide more straightforward definitions of technical terms
• Improve paragraph transitions
• Maintain consistent formatting and capitalization of technical terms

 

• Review for more precise language in theoretical explanations

Author Response

Thank you for taking the time to read my article and offer your insights.

I have made a solid attempt to revise according to your suggestions. I hope that my new definitions and explanations of spirituality and context for Cantor fulfil what you were looking for. I have also improved sentence length and paragraph transitions. 

Thank you for the encouragement.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for this excellent essay. It is interesting, organized, and very well written. 

One small moment that might be clarified a little more is how does losing a limb affect essence without losing essence? (lines 491-492).

 

Author Response

Thank you for taking the time to read my article and offer your insights.

I have added the explanation you requested.

Per the other reviewer's comments, I have had to add a good bit more to this paper. I hope you find it just as satisfactory as you did the first time.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

See my annotations to the passages quoted (in italics) from the document attached here.

Your engagement with holism is fine. Likewise your desire to overcome the distinction between subject and object. But this would require to enage with semiotics and philosophical epistemologies on these issues, to discuss the problems attached to these aims, and the limitations.

Then too, the concept of the 'spiritual' needs definition and delimitation.

It is not shown how and why 'interconnectedness' would be co-extensive with 'spiritual'.

What would be the  specifics of the 'spiritual' to justify using that term?

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

I have added responses to the document you sent (see attached). I hope you enjoy my comments and revisions.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Hello, I appreciate your detailed response, with the arguments and overservations included.

Some issues remain without affecting the whole too much - especially the role of language and languages in relating to the world, and of conceptual representations, besides the sensory,  of reality, and the representation of Neoplatonism (in the beginning) and of  Schelling.

But overall, it is well improved and informative..