Week 9 - Qian Zhang

Week 9 Topic: Future of Spirit Realm Studies

Article: Spirituality in Academy: Reclaiming from the Margins and Evoking a Transformative Way of Knowing the World

The current knowledge systems invalidate the role of spirituality in understating the world. However, since ancient times humans have always sought interconnection with a natural power higher than their egos. The world without spirituality makes no sense of meaning because not everything around the universe follows the mechanistic laws of physics. Such a flawed materialistic worldview promoted by western academies only limits the extent of human knowledge. In this article, the researcher, Walton, explores the reasons why western academies marginalize the role of spirituality in their educational approach. The social-historical foundations of most academic arguments feature a materialistic interpretation of the universe. These arguments rarely reflect on the role played by the spiritual values of the people. The unclear scientific interpretations of the world only threaten the historical and religious worldviews possessed by the learners. For example, most learners have family instilled values that are dominant in their culture. 

Work Cited

Walton, Joan. "The significance of consciousness studies and quantum physics for researching spirituality." Journal for the Study of Spirituality, vol. 7, no. 1, 2017, pp. 21-34.