宗教への信仰心が薄れてきている近年、西洋文化においては神や霊など見えない存在に対する関心が高まっています。スピリチュアリティの考え方によれば、多くの人々は物質的な満足よりも目標によってつき動かされています。本書ではスピリチュアリティの歴史的礎を明らかにし、宗教や哲学にとどまらず、人類学や心理学にも影響を与えているスピリチュアリティと、それが人々の生活にどのような影響を与えているのかを検証します。
  

• Written by one of the most eminent scholars and writers on spirituality
• Looks at the impact of spirituality on religion and philosophy, but also on anthropology and psychology
• Considers the historical foundations of spirituality in the major world religions
• Explores the concept of the spiritual 'experience' and considers the impact and transformation it has on society

 
It has been suggested that 'spirituality' has become a word that 'can define an era'. Why? Because paradoxically, alongside a decline in traditional religious affiliations, the growing interest in spirituality and the use of the word in a variety of contexts is a striking aspect of contemporary western cultures. Indeed, spirituality is sometimes contrasted attractively with religion, although this is problematic and implies that religion is essentially dogma, moralism, institutions, buildings, and hierarchies. 

The notion of spirituality expresses the fact that many people are driven by goals that concern more than material satisfaction. Broadly, it refers to the deepest values and sense of meaning by which people seek to live. Sometimes these values are conventionally religious. Sometimes they are associated with what is understood as 'the sacred' in a broader sense - that is, of ultimate rather than merely instrumental importance. This Very Short Introduction, written by one of the most eminent scholars and writers on spirituality, explores the historical foundations of the thought and considers how it came to have the significance it is developing today.
 
 
Reading Guide