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Keywords = Aldous Huxley

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14 pages, 245 KiB  
Article
Restless Souls: Emerson and Zhuang Zi on the Path to Self-Transcendence Through Silence and Stillness
by Ercan Kaçmaz
Religions 2025, 16(7), 901; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16070901 - 14 Jul 2025
Viewed by 309
Abstract
Why have thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Zhuang Zi, across different cultures, sought something beyond the self? Whether through God, nature, or abstract ideals, the longing for transcendence has been a recurring theme across philosophical and religious traditions. This impulse reflects what [...] Read more.
Why have thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Zhuang Zi, across different cultures, sought something beyond the self? Whether through God, nature, or abstract ideals, the longing for transcendence has been a recurring theme across philosophical and religious traditions. This impulse reflects what Aldous Huxley termed the “perennial philosophy”—the idea that all spiritual traditions share a common metaphysical core. Within this framework, Emerson and Zhuang Zi offer remarkably similar insights into the transformative power of silence and stillness. For Emerson, these quiet states connect the individual with the Over-Soul, a universal spirit that transcends the ego. For Zhuang Zi, they enable alignment with the Dao, the natural flow of the universe. In both philosophies, silence and stillness serve as transformative practices that dissolve the boundaries of the self and open it to a deeper, more unified reality. By comparing Emerson’s Over-Soul and Zhuang Zi’s Dao, this essay shows how both thinkers suggest that true peace arises not from striving but from surrendering to the quiet depths of being. Their shared emphasis on contemplative stillness reveals its enduring value as a spiritual practice across diverse philosophical landscapes. Full article
10 pages, 222 KiB  
Article
The Musicalization of Prose and Poetry in the Oeuvre of Daniil Kharms
by Levon Hakobian
Arts 2024, 13(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts13010006 - 25 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2356
Abstract
The term ‘musicalization’ comes from Aldous Huxley’s novel Point Counter Point where it denotes the use of music-derived models in fiction. The oeuvre of Russian writer Daniil Kharms (1905–1942) provides telling examples of such an approach to constructing both prose and poetry, as [...] Read more.
The term ‘musicalization’ comes from Aldous Huxley’s novel Point Counter Point where it denotes the use of music-derived models in fiction. The oeuvre of Russian writer Daniil Kharms (1905–1942) provides telling examples of such an approach to constructing both prose and poetry, as in his works, the conventional features of art prose and art poetry are, as a rule, considerably reduced. Kharms’s pieces, typically, consist of discrete ‘incidents’, which can be compared to musical motifs or themes; their organization into finished works is often based upon principles that have their recognizable counterparts in art music of different epochs. Some of Kharms’s texts quoted and commented on in the article show affinities with compositional ideas by major twentieth-century composers such as Alban Berg, Witold Lutosławski, Morton Feldman, Gérard Grisey, and Sofia Gubaydulina. Full article
14 pages, 249 KiB  
Article
What Is the ‘Unitive Mystical Experience’ Triggered by Psychedelic Medicines an Experience of? An Exploration of Aldous Huxley’s Viewpoint in Light of Current Data
by Dana Sawyer
Religions 2022, 13(11), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111061 - 4 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2740
Abstract
A large body of research in the field of psychology currently points to a variety of therapeutic outcomes derived from psychedelically occasioned mystical experience. Moreover, additional research suggests that such benefits to mental and emotional well-being may depend directly upon the subjective mystical [...] Read more.
A large body of research in the field of psychology currently points to a variety of therapeutic outcomes derived from psychedelically occasioned mystical experience. Moreover, additional research suggests that such benefits to mental and emotional well-being may depend directly upon the subjective mystical experience itself, rather than upon the substances that triggered it; for instance, research at Johns Hopkins indicates that higher scores on the MEQ30 or MEQ43 might be key predictors of larger therapeutic outcomes. However, the ‘elephant in the room’ often overlooked in psychological studies is this: What exactly is it about the content of the subjective experience that triggers such significant outcomes or, of deep interest philosophically speaking, what might the mystical experience be an experience of? Could it be that such experiences have a viable ontological referent instead of their being wholly subjective and if so, how might Aldous Huxley’s theory in this regard be weighed in light of current data? The essay includes close discussion of the debate regarding the nature of mystical experiences between Robin Carhart-Harris’ REBUS model (the experiences are wholly subjective, with no ontological referent) vs. Edward Kelly’s ROSTA model (contending an ontological referent need not contradict the science). The essay’s thesis is that Huxley’s viewpoint includes plausible and perhaps valuable insights that may help explain why and how that encounter has such profound therapeutic value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Philosophy of Mystical Experience)
11 pages, 252 KiB  
Article
Is an Integrative Model of Neurotheology Possible?
by Leandro M. Gaitán and Javier S. Castresana
Religions 2021, 12(4), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12040277 - 16 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3229
Abstract
This article examines the basic and dialogical models of neurotheology and suggests a third model based on the work of Aldous Huxley. In other words, this proposal is not limited to understanding this discipline as a mere pursuit of neural correlates or as [...] Read more.
This article examines the basic and dialogical models of neurotheology and suggests a third model based on the work of Aldous Huxley. In other words, this proposal is not limited to understanding this discipline as a mere pursuit of neural correlates or as a dialogue between neuroscience and theology. Instead, it is the search for an integrative understanding of religious experiences in which the study of neuronal correlates is only one of the multilevels to be integrated within the framework of a plural and conveniently articulated explanation of such phenomena. This model, which we call integrative neurotheology, hopes to achieve knowledge of religious experiences that includes a comprehensive range of disciplines. In order to update and give argumentative consistency to this model, we will use philosopher Sandra D. Mitchell’s theory of integrative pluralism, which is a more epistemologically refined expression of Huxley’s intuitions. We conclude that a comprehensive model is feasible although we are aware that this article cannot give answers to all the difficulties that this model possesses. Nevertheless, we expect to open up a new pathway in the studies of religious experience. Full article
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