Religion as Self-Transcendence. A Simmelian Framework for Authenticity

Abstract

Georg Simmel’s writings on religion have too often been overlooked, notwithstanding his undisputed status as one of the founders of sociology. Simmel’s metaphysical inclination may give the impression that his thoughts on religion are closer to theology than sociology. This article proposes an interpretation of Simmel’s notion of religiosity (Die Religiosität) in conjunction with the notion of self-transcendence, part of the philosophy of life (Lebensphilosophie) he espoused towards the end of his life. The article does not pursue a filologically accurate position, but a development drawing on Simmel’s notions. Accordingly, it is proposed to interpret religiosity as a sensitivity to self-transcendence, the awareness of social conditioning, or “facticity”, and the striving towards going beyond it. The tension between facticity and self-transcendence reflects – what Simmel called – the ‘conflict of culture’, the ‘malaise’ of the fragmentation of the self resulting from the social differentiation of modern society. Religiosity, as a sensitivity to self-transcendence, is expressed in the pursuit of authenticity thus countering the conflict of culture. This interpretation allows us to see religion as a path, albeit not the only one, to authenticity, understood as challenging facticity, which echoes in later existentialist philosophy and contemporary empirical studies

Transcending the Self to Transcend Suffering

“…Self-transcendence is a reorientation from egotism toward concern for others and the world. Self-transcendence has been examined from diverse perspectives in the literature, including as a phenomenological experience of ego-dissolution, a set of prosocial motivations and behaviors, a subtype of emotion, an attribute of religious experience, as well as a constellation of character strengths (Kitson et al, 2020;Lavy & Benish-Weisman, 2021;Liu et al, 2022;Montemaggi, 2017;Stellar et al, 2017;Yaden et al, 2017). As a multi-faceted psychological phenomenon, the common feature across different manifestations of selftranscendence is that egotistic interests cease to be the individual's predominant focus; a perceived higher value presents itself in a target beyond the self, whether in other people, divinity, or even an overarching concept of nature (Castelo et al, 2021;Magyar-Russell et al, 2020;Stellar et al, 2017).…”

Self-transcendence through Futuwwah and Dharma: Islam and Hinduism Perspectives

“…Religion places people in the path of transcendence. According to Simmel, a religious person is preoccupied with a deep-set yearning for transcendence (Montemaggi, 2017). They turn back to their inner selves and capitalize on their experiences as individuals, allowing them to experience transcendence.…”

“…They turn back to their inner selves and capitalize on their experiences as individuals, allowing them to experience transcendence. Simmel emphasizes that is more than just living, and so, people are always striving for the absolute that seems almost unattainable (Montemaggi, 2017). To some, this absolute takes the form of God or a divine being.…”

“…It is only by being cognizant of the self, others, and the world that the individual can achieve self-transcendence. Therefore, it is not the mystical realm that pulls an individual towards transcendence, but rather an individual's capacity to identify his knowings and not-knowings (Montemaggi, 2017).…”

Transcending the self to transcend suffering

“…Self-transcendence is a reorientation from egotism toward concern for others and the world. Self-transcendence has been examined from diverse perspectives in the literature, including as a phenomenological experience of ego-dissolution, a set of prosocial motivations and behaviors, a subtype of emotion, an attribute of religious experience, as well as a constellation of character strengths (Montemaggi, 2017;Stellar et al, 2017;Yaden et al, 2017;Kitson et al, 2020;Lavy and Benish-Weisman, 2021;Liu et al, 2022). As a multifaceted psychological phenomenon, the common feature across different manifestations of self-transcendence is that egotistic interests cease to be the individual's predominant focus; a perceived higher value presents itself in a target beyond the self, whether in other people, divinity, or even an overarching concept of nature (Stellar et al, 2017;Castelo et al, 2021;Magyar-Russell et al, 2022).…”