Taylor’s Soft Perennialism: Psychology or New Age Spiritual Vision?

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, Dec 2017

Taylor has responded to critiques of his soft perennialism model in relationship to what he has called awakening experiences. The fact that some individuals have this type of experience away from the context of religion or spirituality, according to soft perennialism, is explained by a sort of landscape of experience representing the diverse ways in which one may engage with and experience this essential beingness. While this inspiring vision could possibly be true, just as numerous other speculations about ultimate reality might be true; however, the evidence advanced in support of soft perennialism notion is not valid in the context of psychology, or of any scientific endeavor. Taylor's claims that his metaphysical schema is at least partly evidence-based appears to stem from an overly philosophical view of science and a misunderstanding of the nature of valid scientific evidence. As such, soft perennialism is not a psychological theory, but functions more as a New Age spiritual vision. Given that perennialist visions such as Wilber's have received long and careful scrutiny within the transpersonal field, and now play a reduced role, a sober assessment is that perennialist models belong more to the field's past than to its future. At the same time, Taylor's empirical research into a particular type of developmental transformation may contribute importantly.

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Taylor’s Soft Perennialism: Psychology or New Age Spiritual Vision?

Hartelius, G. ( Taylor's Soft P erennialism: Psycholog y or New Age Spiritual Vision? Glenn Hartelius 0 1 0 California Institute of Integral Studies , USA 1 Part of the Philosophy of Science Commons , Religion Commons, Theory and Philosophy Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies Commons, and the Transpersonal Psychology Commons Recommended Citation - Taylor’s Soft P erennialism: Psycholog y or New Age Spiritual Vision? Cover Page Footnote Taylor’s Soft Perennialism: Psychology or New Age Spiritual Vision? Glenn Hartelius California Institute of Integral Studies San Francisco, CA, USA Taylor has responded to critiques of his soft perennialism model in relationship to what he has called awakening experiences. The fact that some individuals have this type of experience away from the context of religion or spirituality, according to soft perennialism, is explained by a sort of landscape of experience representing the diverse ways in which one may engage with and experience this essential beingness. While this inspiring vision could possibly be true, so also could numerous other speculations about ultimate reality; however, the evidence advanced in support of soft perennialism notion is not valid in the context of psychology, or of any scientific endeavor. Taylor's claims that his metaphysical schema is at least partly evidence-based appears to stem from an overly philosophical view of science and a misunderstanding of the nature of valid scientific evidence. As such, soft perennialism is not a psychological theory, but functions more as a New Age spiritual vision. Given that perennialist visions such as Wilber's have received long and careful scrutiny within the transpersonal field, and now play a reduced role, a sober assessment is that perennialist models belong more to the field's past than to its future. At the same time, Taylor's empirical research into a particular type of developmental transformation may contribute importantly. Tand my response (Hartelius, 2016a) , both aylor’s (2016) paper on soft perennialism published in this journal, have generated several subsequent papers in a back and forth dialogue. My two prior responses (Hartelius, 2017a, 2017b) have addressed issues in perennialism more broadly; here these arguments will be applied directly to Taylor’s work and his prior responses. This will necessarily entail some restatement of ideas expressed elsewhere. A central point of concern with Taylor’s (2016, 2017a, 2017b) position is his claim that his speculative metaphysical philosophy of spirituality is at least partially based on empirical evidence, and is empirically testable. Taylor has affirmed the importance of grounding and testing theories in scientific evidence, which is commendable among perennialist theorists. At the same time, the evidence advanced for his soft perennialism is not scientifically valid, but consists of speculative extrapolation supported by inadequate strategies such as circular reasoning. The worthy intention of creating a broadly inclusive philosophy of spirituality that is grounded in science and lived experience falls short as other perennialist models have, due to a wholesale absence of valid evidence. This is the central and likely fatal weakness of soft perennialism as a psychological theory, one that renders other considerations moot. Before engaging in the specifics of dialogue, it may be useful to step back and paraphrase Taylor’s claims, as well as consider them in a psychology context. According to Taylor (2016) , there are many varieties of spiritual experience, and some of these types of experience may occur outside of religious contexts. For example, he has claimed there is empirical evidence that what he has called awakening experiences can occur in entirely ordinary settings, experiences in which there is an intensification of awareness; a decreased sense of one’s separate self and an increased sense of connectedness and union; enhanced inner stillness and equanimity; movement toward empathy, compassion, and altruism; a decrease in a sense of personal agency; and increased wellbeing (Taylor, 2016) . These awakening experiences can be explained as a shift from the conventional experiences of mundane life toward an experience that is more aligned with “the radiant, blissful nature of our deepest being” (Taylor, 2017c, p. 218) , which constitutes an underlying 136 International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 36(2), 2017, pp. 136-146 https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2017.36.2.136 Hartelius psychological or experiential realm (Taylor, 2016) . Spiritual experiences, of course, occur in a variety of forms—a fact that in Taylor’s view cannot be explained either by neurobiology, cultural transmission, or conventional perennialist models that posit an objective transcendent spiritual dimension or goal. This diversity can, in his view, be explained as different ways of engaging with (...truncated)


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Glenn Hartelius. Taylor’s Soft Perennialism: Psychology or New Age Spiritual Vision?, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 2017, Volume 36, Issue 2,