In the Prism of Transcendentalism and Other Essays

About the Book

The very grand problem of transcendentalism, which is of perennial nature, primordial significance and universal scope, has been profoundly neglected within this modern historiography of transcendentalism. The very primordial element of transcendentalism, which is the ethoscal preoccupation of the human soul with ‘going beyond’, ‘seeing above’, ‘leaving behind’, ‘embarking across’, ‘climbing over’, and in one word realizing the order of being transcendentally has not been taken into consideration within this modern narrative. The result has been tremendously detrimental for religious thinking in ecumenical sense in relation to intellectual as well as gnostic debates across the orthodox boundaries of institutionalized religions. Besides, one has come view the modern transcendentalism as a ‘reaction to modernity’ rather than a part of a universal soul-searching philosophy that has a long-standing history within sacred traditions. As a matter of fact, the very pillar of religiosity in Islam is hinged upon the very intelligible realization of ‘Ghayb’ or ‘Transcendence’ and this could not be realized unless, as Mulana Imam Sadiq (Peace Be Upon Him) says, the place of intellect is clearly established within human soul.

About the Author

Seyed Javad Miri graduated from Goteborg University in Sweden and got his doctor degree from Bristol University in England and has been a Visiting Professor in England, China and Russia at the departments of Philosophy, Sociology and Social Anthropology respectively and he has been working on the relation between social theory, religion and philosophy and soon shall move to Sharif University in Iran.