Search Results (36)

This article explores the foundations and scope of theological discourse on sustainability by drawing upon transcendental–philosophical and existential–phenomenological perspectives. This study addresses the ongoing debate regarding the unique contribution and place of theological appeals to sustainability, especially in relation to secular arguments and audiences. Building on the structures of human cognition, freedom, and meaning, as well as the phenomenological concepts of givenness and promise, this paper critically examines how these structures can both motivate sustainable behavior and serve as interfaces to theological creation and eschatology. The methodological approach combines systematic philosophical analysis with affirmative theology, especially reflecting on the interrelation between the cognitive and experiential dimensions of human existence. The findings suggest that sustainability is not merely a moral option promoted by extrinsic or intrinsic motivators but is deeply rooted in the anthropological groundings of the human being. This study argues that a philosophically and anthropologically grounded discourse on sustainability serves as a vital interface between religious conviction and secular reasoning, extending the reach and impact of sustainability ethics. Full article

Background: Human care represents the essence of nursing but faces challenges from increasing technological advancement and healthcare system bureaucratization. Objective: To understand how nursing students balance technical demands with human aspects of care during pre-professional practice experiences. Methods: An interpretive phenomenological study was conducted with 17 nursing students (12 women, 5 men) in their eighth and ninth semesters from a public university in northern Ecuador. The data were collected through focused interviews during the first quarter of 2025. Analysis followed a four-stage phenomenological process: epoché, phenomenological reduction, eidetic reduction, and transcendental reduction, culminating in phenomenological interpretation. Data saturation was achieved, and methodological rigor criteria were applied including triangulation with external analysts. Results: Six main strategies emerged that students develop to balance technical demands with humanized care: Time Management and Optimization, Integration of Human and Technical Dimensions, Patient Communication About Time Constraints, Emotional Regulation and Boundary Setting, Resistance to Dehumanization, and Institutional Context Adaptation. Students transform technical procedures into therapeutic opportunities and develop resilient competencies that preserve nursing’s humanistic values. Conclusions: Nursing students develop integrative competencies that balance technical excellence with human sensitivity. Curriculum modifications are needed to include specific competencies in emotional regulation, therapeutic communication, and dehumanization resistance strategies. Full article

Background/Objectives: End-of-life (EoL) experiences are critically important for everyone involved, giving rise to a set of needs that extend far beyond bio-physiological aspects, to encompass the spiritual dimension as the core of human beings. Understanding the processes of spiritual awakening (SA) assists palliative care professionals in enhancing the quality of care provided to individuals with life-threatening illnesses, as well as to their families. SA is a fundamental occurrence linked to the fulfilment of our spiritual needs when facing an existential crisis, such as the proximity of death. However, its conceptual boundaries need to be clarified to provide qualified and humanized palliative care. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key attributes, antecedents, consequents, and empirical referents of SA at EoL, as well as to clarify the concept’s existing ambiguities. Methods: Walker and Avant’s eight-step concept analysis was used. A literature search was conducted in May 2025 across three databases (PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus). Results: Following the review, 21 articles were included for analysis. The concept analysis revealed four main attribute domains: (1) sensory–perceptual domain; (2) affective/cognitive domain; (3) relational domain; and (4) transcendental domain. Moreover, spiritual consciousness and the existential matrix were antecedents to this concept; revaluation of beliefs, finding spiritual serenity and inner freedom, fostering spiritual growth, and the desire to leave a legacy were its consequences. Conclusions: The concept of SA at the EoL reveals itself to be a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, with a profound impact on a person’s confrontation with finitude. Recognizing and integrating SA into palliative care allows for a more comprehensive understanding of human consciousness. To deal with SA experiences in healthcare settings, a multifaceted approach is needed. This encompasses acknowledging spirituality as a determinant of health, including spiritual care in standard practice, and offering education and training on spiritual care competence for healthcare practitioners. Further transdisciplinary research should be undertaken to explore SA phenomenological variations, guide clinical interventions, and evaluate SA impacts on spiritual well-being and spiritual growth. Full article

This essay explores whether romantic exclusivity is more than a cultural choice, suggesting it might be built into the very structure of love. Turning away from typical sociological or psychological explanations, I place classical philosophy in direct conversation with contemporary thinkers like Natasha McKeever, Christopher Bennett, and Carrie Jenkins to investigate this question. I argue that a synthesis of three distinct philosophical frameworks reveals exclusivity as a structural requirement for romantic love in its deepest sense. First, drawing on Kant, I suggest that love’s demand for a totalizing cognitive synthesis of two lives runs into a transcendental barrier when attempted with more than one person. Second, I use Scheler’s phenomenology to argue that the deep, sustained attention required for love’s unique power of value revelation is inherently diluted across multiple partners. Third, I introduce Schopenhauer’s metaphysics to posit that divided romantic striving contradicts the indivisible nature of the Will. I also briefly touch on how thinkers like Kierkegaard and Levinas reinforce this theme of existential singularity. Taken together, this synthesis does not condemn non-monogamous relationships but reframes the debate. It suggests that what we call “romantic love” may be structurally distinct from other valuable forms of intimacy. The powerful pull toward exclusivity, then, might not be a mere social script but may reflect the fundamental architecture of consciousness, valuation, and being itself. Full article

Background: Induced after-death communication (IADC) experiences have been reported to share many phenomenological features with Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). This study aimed to empirically test the hypothesis that the majority of IADC experiences manifest a phenomenology that largely overlaps with that of NDEs. Methods: A cross-sectional observational design with retrospective data collection was employed. Fifty-nine participants (M = 56.25 years, SD = 10.18) who had previously undergone IADC therapy completed the Italian version of the Near-Death Experience (NDE) Scale. Descriptive analyses and repeated measures ANOVA were conducted to examine total scores and differences across subscales. Results: A total of 51 participants (86%) exceeded the established NDE threshold (≥7), with a mean total score of 14.69. The highest scores were observed on the Transcendental and Affective subscales, whereas the Paranormal subscale showed the lowest average scores. The Cognitive subscale exhibited intermediate values. Item-level analyses confirmed the high intensity of core NDE features, such as perceiving otherworldly environments, encountering deceased loved ones, and experiencing profound peace. Conclusions: This study provides the first empirical evidence of phenomenological overlap between IADC experiences and NDEs. These results shed light on the processes underlying the effectiveness of IADC therapy. Full article

The practice of architectural design is experiencing disruptive changes—e.g., the incredible growth of architects worldwide, the relevance of social media and the impact of artificial intelligence—typically analysed and studied as separate phenomena. Through a narrative research approach, this paper connects these emerging trends into a systemic view by referring to two conceptual frameworks—systems theory and transcendental phenomenology. Thus, it shows their mutual irritations, investigating the consequences of the practice of design and the collective architectural imaginary and mapping out the main findings through two diagrams. This paper recognises a series of key points of the resulting architectural system, the paramount being the extensive and mainly unconscious use of keywords. Then, clarifying the ontological dual nature of keywords, it conjectures that design will evolve differently for ordinary cases—characterised by passive keywords and competence—and for the most extraordinary ones—where mastery will have a critical role through active keywords. Full article

This article proposes a reading of Marion’s phenomenology from an early text, arguing that the various phenomenological innovations which are introduced in this work are subordinated to the central concept of transcendence. This concept in Marion’s work names the relation between revelation and experience and makes possible the disclosure of a revelatory phenomenon of radical alterity and asymmetry. Reliant on this concept, Marion’s phenomenology dramatically reconfigures the transcendental subject, the phenomenal object, and the horizon as well as their relation to certain phenomena. While Marion’s early text undergoes numerous revisions and reappears in different versions at several junctures in the development of his intervention in phenomenology, this article maintains that his central concept of transcendence retains its primacy in the structural arrangement of his other phenomenological innovations. Additionally, it will be argued that while the concept of transcendence in Marion has often been treated with suspicion by interpreters as obliquely allowing for a theological incursion into Marion’s phenomenology, such discussions generally miss how Marion’s particular construal of transcendence, as the relation between revelation and experience, necessarily allows for an a priori best explained as a theological judgement. Lastly, several questions attendant to this argument will be suggested for further development and investigation. Full article

The study of decision making is currently significant in various areas of knowledge, particularly in an interdisciplinary approach involving psychologists, economists, sociologists, cognitive scientists, and political scientists. This article explores the decision-making process in a new field: the mystical lived experience; i.e., approaches the perception of something present as unknown, the perception of mystery, within the decision-making process. It emphasizes that every perception requires a response, more or less conscious, and the mystical lived experience is no exception. The goal is to enhance our understanding and interpretation of the dynamics of mystical experience using a phenomenological analysis of the decision-making process as a hermeneutic key. The philosophical and anthropological background of this article draws from Karl Rahner’s transcendental experience, while the phenomenological and psychological perspective is informed by Louis Roy’s experiences of transcendence and Juan Martin Velasco’s studies on mysticism. The article first establishes the theoretical foundations of this new approach and then applies a decision-making analysis to the significant decisions made by St. Ignatius of Loyola, as detailed in his autobiography. Full article

The intention of this paper is to develop an original notion of self-as-mediation, where a reimagining of the function of art as a phenomenological/epistemological praxis will be the methodological vehicle. The argument here will unfold over four moments. Firstly, I argue that through the elevation of art into a valid form of inquiry—one that engages our collective and individual being-in—a relation coupling art with science can be established. Secondly, by means of a further reflection on the linguistic aspects of the complementary domains of science and art—in part inspired by the standpoint of Carl Otto Apel—a unified transcendental–pragmatic interpretation of this art–science relationship will be determined. In the third moment, I make the argument that through a phenomenological reflection derived from the apodictic assertion of self-as-mediation, a trifold relation situating self-as-mediation is revealed as dynamically engaged in a continual exchange, or interchange, between what can be considered to be an “attitude” and a “doing”, referred to here as relation and action. Thus, the fourth moment is revealed as a weird dynamic relational movement, out of which a radical ethic may be developed. It is argued that along with an implied recasting of religious consciousness, a complementary and positive vision for humanity at this time of ecological and social tragedy may also be offered by this approach. Full article

Nietzsche is the world’s most (in)famous atheist, bearer of the monumental tiding of the Death of God. His works contain biting critiques of Christianity and, to a lesser degree, of Judaism as well. Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica [=RMY] (1800–1854) was a leading Hasidic master in 19th century Poland. Despite their seemingly incongruent world views and backgrounds, bringing the German philosopher and the Polish Rebbe into conversation bears significant fruit. The significance of my study is two-fold. First, based upon similar philosophical moves by both Nietzsche and RMY, I aim to establish a philosophical foundation upon which to create a secular religious space which, beyond the local discussion around Nietzsche and RMY themselves, is of vital importance in a world continuously divided along inter-religious and secular-religious grounds. In addition, I will sharpen what we mean when we discuss the “religiosity” of Nietzsche and how this religiosity may confront nihilism. I believe that Nietzsche’s orienting insight that God is dead can serve as an inspiration to create a phenomenologically religious “space” devoid of metaphysical and transcendental assertions and that there is a Hasidic master willing to meet him there. The quest of RMY was to reveal a Torah bereft of “Levushim”, that is to say, bereft of the familiar Jewish and kabbalistic mythical trappings. When the traditional Christian and Jewish myths which refer to a transcendent reality are discarded, the search for meaning is relocated onto the immanent stage of human (“All too Human”) phenomenology. Full article

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) mediated interactions, such as audio and video calls, are part of all companies’ routines. Despite technological advances, no current ICT can perfectly mimic the unique characteristics of face-to-face interactions. As good-quality internal communication is critical to companies’ operations, the increased demand for work-from-home jobs raises relevant questions regarding employees’ capability to communicate properly. To better understand if the physical and temporal distance associated with the work-from-home represents a threat to employees’ capacity to establish clear communications, this study explores the internal communication experiences of full-time home-based telecommuters. Adopting a transcendental phenomenological strategy and based on a mix of purposeful and snowball sampling, 23 employees were interviewed online. Two additional interviews with top managers from a company where all employees work from home were also performed. Following a thematic analysis, results did not reveal a direct relationship between physical and temporal distance and the quality of internal communication. Indeed, the increased media options adopted by employees after starting to work from home contributed to improving internal communication quality. The main identified communication issues, such as information segregation, are related to how internal communications are managed, and may happen whether employees work side-by-side or physically apart. Full article

This study addresses Roger Scruton’s understanding of what he called “moments of revelation”. In two short essays, both entitled “Effing the ineffable”, Scruton framed his discussion of moments of revelation with reference to the medieval Christian mystical discourse. Introducing the medieval discussion of this topic, this study provides an analysis of Scruton’s approach to the theme. In tune with the traditional discourse on revelation, his general aim was to demonstrate that there are ways of revealing important truths about the supernatural, of the world “beyond the window”, that do not require words to be pronounced. He calls our experiences of such phenomena moments of revelation and identifies four different transitory sources of revelation. This study deals with them one by one, after considering whether it is right to label such a revelation transcendental. The four sources of Scruton’s moments of revelation are natural beauty, the beauty of painting, the beauty of music, and personal encounters. The first three examples are connected to his thoughts on art and beauty as a substitute of divine revelation. Perhaps the most surprising of these is the last ones, moments of intersubjective human relationships, “our knowledge of each other”. Relying on both Buber and Levinas, Scruton makes the strong claim that it is in the other that we can experience that world “beyond the window”. His phenomenological exploration of human encounters sheds light on concepts like grace, shekhinah, or real presence and gift. He explains the Christian understanding of the human–divine relationship as well along the lines of the nature of interpersonal human relationship, both of them being in a certain sense, he claims, transcendental. From grace, his account moves forward to self-sacrifice and finally arrives at his idiosyncratic understanding of gratefulness for life. His moments of revelation in art and interpersonal exchange turn out to be, indeed, late and secular versions of the Christian understanding of revelation. In its summary, this study claims that revelation, understood by Scruton as a form of general human experience, allows to catch a glimpse of that which is beyond the window, by the direct, sensually based experience of either the existence of another person or of the beauty of nature and art. Full article

A set of interventions that can produce altered states of consciousness (ASC) have shown utility in the treatment of substance misuse. In this review, we examine addiction-related outcomes associated with three common interventions that produce ASCs: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PP), Transcendental Meditation (TM) and hypnotherapy (HT). While procedurally distinct, all three interventions are associated with some common phenomenological, psychological, and neurobiological features, indicating some possible convergent mechanisms of action. Along with addiction and mental health outcomes, these common features are reviewed, and their impact on substance misuse is discussed. While our review highlights some mixed findings and methodological issues, results indicate that PP and TM are associated with significant improvements in substance misuse, alongside improvements in emotional, cognitive and social functioning, behavior-change motivation, sense of self-identity, and meaning. In contrast, and despite its broader acceptance, HT has been associated with mixed and minimal results with respect to substance misuse treatment. Authors identify key research gaps in the role of ASC interventions in addiction and outline a set of promising future research directions. Full article

This article examines relationships between the absolute being of the universal ego (Ātman-self) according to the Indian religious philosophy of Vedanta (V) and the phenomenological, irreal being of the transcendental ego in Husserl’s phenomenology (P). Both Ātman and the transcendental ego are accessed in the first-person perspective by onto-phenomenological reductions. Such reductions, as stated by Husserl, have absolute freedom of positing and, thus, can reveal or conceal states of being. In contrast with P-reduction, which renders the being of the ego-pole invisible, V-reduction penetrates into the being of the ego-pole and opens a horizon of unique, non-intentional mental states. Following the dialectics in pre- and post-reduction givenness of being, there emerges a picture of connection between the intentional phenomenological being of the transcendental ego and the non-intentional being of the pure ego of Vedanta (Ātman-self). The pure ego of Vedanta manifests as a substrate for the transcendental ego of phenomenology. From this, we can conclude that reductions function as the loci of dialectical syntheses of being, whereby the unity of being has a fuller, more complex and multi-sided sense than the one intended in the natural attitude. In their breaking of theoretical habits conditioned by the substance metaphysical tradition, reductions are truly indispensable in the revelation of being that grounds the theory of knowledge. Full article

Despite significant scientific advances in research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the psychological and behavioral symptoms of this pathological condition remain hard to understand, until they seem paradoxical. The present work seeks to consider the significance and potential contribution of a phenomenological reading of OCD and how phenomenalism has influenced some cognitive models of this disorder. Transcendental phenomenology is a philosophical approach that attaches primary importance to intuitive experience and considers all phenomena intrinsically associated with the subject’s inner world. Thus, the subject’s intuition is considered the starting point for understanding their essential experience. This approach has had a profound influence on modern cognitive sciences. Among current cognitive models, post-rationalist cognitivism and cognitive neuropsychological psychotherapy seem most effective in capturing the world experiences of OCD patients. Both apply a phenomenological approach to identify these experiences, which are typically characterized by hyper-reflexivity, at the expense of ‘natural evidence.’ The models have found that OCD patients experience the world emotionally as a sterile set of rules, and this experience determines their suffering. Full article