The paradigm of human flourishing (eudaimonia) is attracting increasing interest in recent years. Different disciplines, with diverse theoretical (philosophical-moral) and practical (psychological and educational) approaches, have been seduced by the subject. Although there is a certain agreement in understanding it as an ideal of human life, that is, as a realization of this that allows it to be characterized as good, its content has not been specified in the same way by different authors. Within this broad framework, we would like to propose a space for interdisciplinary discussion that addresses two major issues: The identity of the spiritual subject and the contribution of spiritualities to the common good of society.
When reflecting on today’s spiritual subject, we ask ourselves what are the anthropological and, above all, sociocultural conditions for believing and practicing this belief. Contribution of spiritualities to the common good: the approach of the theory of secularity, which has its roots in Weber’s thought, states, among other things, that religions (and spiritualities, we can say) would tend to diminish and disappear from the public space. In recent years, and from different perspectives and authors, it has been shown that this statement is far from being true. Religions and spiritualities not only continue to be present in the public space but do so with a notoriety and significance that was questioned a few decades ago. However, this does not deny that we are immersed in a time of secularity and plurality. The question that arises from this situation is how spiritualities can be, in secular and plural societies, a contribution to the construction of the common good.
The Secularization HEST cluster was established as part of the second phase of the Higher Education for Social Transformation programme. It will seek to develop research on the phenomenon of secularization in Europe, stressing an interdisciplinary approach and a comparative perspective. The group is coordinated by Prof Dr Ignacio Sepúlveda of Loyola Andalusia University, with the support of Sergio Gadea SJ as secretary.
The cluster is developing the research around three topics:
• Multiple secularities in Europe.
• Best ways and lessons learned in transmitting faith in the different secularized societies present in Europe.
• Relationship and contributions of spirituality and religion to European societies’ democratic dimension.
The group will also seek to transfer their research results to civil societies, especially to the pastoral works of the Jesuit provinces and other Catholic pastoral works.
Symposium on “International Symposium on Human Flourishing and Spirituality”
The members of the Hest cluster on Secularization gathered from the 17th to the 18th of June at Universidad Loyola Andalucia. The cluster met in person for the first time for a fruitful program, organized and coordinated by Dr. Ignacio Sepúlveda, with Dr. Anthony Carroll and Dr. Tomas Halik as key speakers.
Dr. Anthony Carroll pronounced the first conference: From Catholic Modernity to Religious Modernities. The conference explored the relations between human flourishing and spirituality through the optic of Catholic Modernity.
The first conference was followed by three panels: The identity of the new religious subject: Socio-cultural conditions of possibility for belief in the 21st century, Spirituality and Solidarity: the contributions of spirituality to the communitarian (and political) construction of our societies, and New spiritualities: transcendence or immanence?.
The second day’s schedule started with Dr. Tomas Halik’s conference on Spirituality as a healing power for the world; followed by a panel on Spirituality and Jesuit University: Aperture to transcendence and spirituality; and a final panel with pastoralist.
«From Catholic Modernity to Religious Modernities», Anthony Carroll
«Spirituality as a healing power for the world», Tomas Halík
II International Symposium on Secularity
The Kircher Network’s Secularization HEST Cluster organized the II International Symposium on Secularity “Do we need religion? Contributions of spirituality and religion to the post-secular and communitarian societies”. It took place from the 30th to the 31st of May 2024 at Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt.