Jeffrey Kripal’s recently published The Superhumanities is both a radical proposal for re-conceiving the humanities, and a summation of his thoughts on spiritual life after more than three decades in the study of comparative religion. Deeply sympathetic to humankind’s spiritual striving, Kripal builds on a “third space” apart from conventional religious belief and materialistic dismissal of religious experience. In the process, he reexamines what it means to be human and points towards a revitalized conception of reality itself. This course involves a close analytic reading of Kripal’s text and heartfelt reflections on his provocative—some might say ‘inspired’—ideas. Dr. Kripal will be present for the final class.
Required Reading: The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New Realities, Jeffrey Kripal (University of Chicago Press, 2022)
