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[Heidegger, Mysticism, and the Freedom from the Will]-[Episode #215 ... How Mysticism is missing in our modern lives. (Critchley, Heidegger)]

Philosophize This! · C1 · 2024-10-30

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📋 Summary

Beyond the Will: Reimagining Mysticism in the Modern Era

In the landscape of modern philosophy, the tension between the "will" and "releasement" serves as a critical junction for understanding human existence. Stephen West, drawing on the work of Martin Heidegger and philosopher Simon Critchley, explores the possibility of living outside the rigid, subject-object framing that defines our contemporary world. By re-evaluating the role of mysticism, we can uncover a path toward a more meaningful, immediate connection with our own being.

The Tyranny of the Will

Heidegger’s later philosophy challenges the Nietzschean notion of the "freedom of the will." While Nietzsche emphasizes the power to project ourselves onto reality—to structure, manipulate, and optimize the world—Heidegger asks a provocative question: Is it possible to think without the will?

In our modern technological age, everything is viewed as an object to be controlled. This utilitarian mindset forces us to constantly "save the world" through rational intervention, often leaving us spiritually exhausted. Heidegger proposes an alternative: Gelassenheit, or "releasement/letting be." This shift represents a transition from the "freedom of the will" to a "freedom from the will," allowing us to experience existence without the constant pressure of subjective projection.

Reframing Mysticism: Beyond Irrationality

For many, the term "mystic" carries the stigma of irrationality or delusion. Simon Critchley, in his book On Mysticism, argues that this misunderstanding stems from a post-Kantian cultural climate that positioned philosophy as the "policemen of thinking," tasked with guarding against dogma.

However, historical mystics—such as St. Teresa of Avila, Rumi, or the Kabbalists—were not anti-rational. On the contrary, their experiences were often the product of highly rational, disciplined engagements with texts and practices. Their devotion to prayer, meditation, and scripture was a rigorous labor aimed at transcending the boundaries of the self. Critchley suggests that mysticism is not an antonym to philosophy, but a profound, often-neglected gateway to understanding the nature of being.

The Phenomenological Reality of the Divine

Skeptics often demand a material cause for mystical experiences, dismissing them as "delusional monkey brains." Critchley argues that this misses the point of a phenomenological inquiry. The validity of these experiences does not lie in their correspondence to a "man in the sky," but in the subjective transformation of the individual. When someone experiences the dissolution of the self—a sense of unity with the world where time seems to cease—the experience is undeniably "real" to the subject. The critical question is not the material cause of the state, but the efficacy of the practices that cultivate such profound states of consciousness.

Reclaiming Ecstasy in an Age of Distraction

Critchley characterizes modern adulthood as the "abdication of ecstasy." We are so consumed by ego-driven concerns and the shallow, biased digital content we consume that we have lost the capacity for vulnerability. To access the "no-self" state described by mystics, one must possess a willingness to step outside the constant need for control.

While we may lack the monastic solitude of a Julian of Norwich, we have other, democratized access points. Poetry, music, and deep philosophical study serve as contemporary channels for this "letting be." As Rumi’s poetry illustrates, language can move beyond the subject-object structure of ordinary discourse to point toward a reality that is "too full to talk about."

Conclusion: A Slow Shift

Finding this deeper connection is rarely a singular, explosive event. It is a slow, incremental process of prying away the filters that obscure our experience of existence. By taking mysticism seriously as a valid human tendency rather than a target for ridicule, we open ourselves to a richer, more nuanced way of navigating the world. As West suggests, this journey is not about rejecting reason, but about acknowledging its limits and finding space for the profound, unbridled complexity of being.

🎯Key Sentences

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Is it possible to think without the will?
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Let's talk more about what that might look like.
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Let's structure things.
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Well, first of all, real question, should this person have to apologize for spending their time in this way?
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In other words, is this just a poorly disguised move of a selfish person who's ignoring all the really important work we have to do of projecting ourselves onto the world and fixing it?
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📝Key Phrases

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wrap one's head around
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low-hanging fruit
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clear the air
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steer into
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frame of reference
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📖 Transcript

Hello everyone. I'm Stephen West.
This is Philosophize This.
Thank you to everyone who supports the podcast on Patreon, patreon .com slash Philosophize This.
So please listen to at least the last episode before this one, but a couple episodes ago, I brought up Heidiger in relation to Nietzsche, and I said that a classic Heidiger -style question that really shows the differences between him and Nietzsche is that he asks, Is it possible to think without the will?
Meaning, is it a part of our thinking, to not only be able to have freedom of the will, to be able to will yourself on to situations when you choose to, but beyond freedom of the will, is there also a freedom from the will that's an important part of our thinking as well?
Now what this question refers to is Heidiger's later work, after being in time, after dauzein, after showing the limitations of only framing things in terms of subjects and objects, willing ourselves onto reality.

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