Abraham Maslow
In 1960, Abraham Maslow, a pioneering American psychologist, confronted conventional wisdom in the scientific and psychotherapeutic communities with the publication of "Religion, Values, and..."
In 1960, Abraham Maslow, a pioneering American psychologist, confronted conventional wisdom in the scientific and psychotherapeutic communities with the publication of "Religion, Values, and Peak-experiences". Within this work, Maslow argues that "peak-experiences" – fleeting yet intense moments of profound spiritual significance – warrant rigorous study because of their transformative power. He suggests that these experiences bring profound relief from depression, meaninglessness, and despair, emphasizing their vital importance in understanding human flourishing.
Lessons from Abraham Maslow:
Religious questions are deeply human and worth exploring scientifically. One could say that the nineteenth-century atheist had burnt down the house instead of remodelling it. He had thrown out the religious questions with the religious answers because he had to reject the religious answers…. But what the more sophisticated scientist is now in the process of learning is that though he must disagree with most of the answers to the religious questions… it is increasingly clear that the religious questions themselves are rooted deep in human nature, that they can be studied, described, examined in a scientific way… the questions themselves were and are perfectly acceptable, and perfectly legitimate.
Philosophers tend to miss the forest for the trees. They sharpen tools rather than discover truths. These people contrast sharply with another group of contemporary philosophers, the existentialists.
Our lack of meaning is closely tied to our consumerism. Most psychotherapists would agree that a large proportion of the population of all affluent nations—not only America—are now caught in this situation of valuelessness although most of these therapists are still speaking superficially and symptomatically of character neuroses, immaturity, juvenile delinquency, over-indulgences, etc.
Peak-experiences break through the veil and allow the individual to glimpse the highest purpose of man. Another consequence of this new insight into the highest human end-goals and end values is that it holds for every living human being. Furthermore, it holds from the moment of birth until the moment of death, even from before birth and after death in some very real senses.
Transcendent experiences are universal across cultures and times, described similarly despite cultural and linguistic differences, though inherently ineffable. It has been demonstrated again and again that the transcendent experiences have occurred to some people in any culture and at any time and of any religion and in any cast or class. All these experiences are described in about the same general way; the language and the concrete contents may be different and, indeed must be different. These experiences are essentially ineffable… mystics trying to describe his experience, can do it only in a local, culture-bound, ignorance-bound, language-bound way.
Peak experiences often counteract depression and despair. I would guess also, on theoretical grounds, that peak-experience might very well abort “existential meaninglessness” states of valuelessness, etc, at least occasionally.
Till next week!