Positivism has the advantage of being the first philosophical system powerful enough to prove itself wrong. There's a lot of tools there to use, it's the sharpest knife we have, but it's still only a knife. Much like the Dialectic is stunningly more explanatory than it has any right to be, but it still isn't god, you can't just plop things into it and stop thinking.
Mysticism too has its place, even though it's often tied to idealism that isn't necessarily an unbreakable bond. "The kingdom of heaven is among us", after all.
As far as I’m concerned mysticism is the key to converting the religious masses to socialist/anarchist ideology. Fuck the church, fuck the pope, fuck priests and fuck any form of religious hierarchy, nobody can mediate an individuals experience of the divine, we are all one so we should dam well start acting like it. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you, because they are literally you too.
I'm not opposed to that, although I'd claim that consistent ritual is important to many (indeed it can be the interface of the ideal and the material), and people can mediate the experience of the divine in structured (preferably non hierarchical) ways. What else is something like an Oratorio or Concert Mass if not that?
I agree, but I don’t really see ritual as inextricable from religious hierarchy, and in many cases it’s used as a method to attain mystical or divine experiences which are integral in bringing about the positive perspectives associated with spiritual/religious practice. Mediate was probably not the right word to use in this case, perhaps dictate or interpret would have more accurately described what I was trying to convey. An example that comes to mind might be a shaman leading an ayahuasca ceremony through drumming and singing which could be seen as mediating an experience, however it’s more from the stance of a guide, as opposed to an authority imposing dogma or predetermined ways of conceptualising such experiences. As long as power over others is not derived from some kind of spiritual hierarchy I’ve got no problem with how people choose to practice their religious beliefs.
Positivism has the advantage of being the first philosophical system powerful enough to prove itself wrong. There's a lot of tools there to use, it's the sharpest knife we have, but it's still only a knife. Much like the Dialectic is stunningly more explanatory than it has any right to be, but it still isn't god, you can't just plop things into it and stop thinking.
Mysticism too has its place, even though it's often tied to idealism that isn't necessarily an unbreakable bond. "The kingdom of heaven is among us", after all.
As far as I’m concerned mysticism is the key to converting the religious masses to socialist/anarchist ideology. Fuck the church, fuck the pope, fuck priests and fuck any form of religious hierarchy, nobody can mediate an individuals experience of the divine, we are all one so we should dam well start acting like it. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you, because they are literally you too.
I'm not opposed to that, although I'd claim that consistent ritual is important to many (indeed it can be the interface of the ideal and the material), and people can mediate the experience of the divine in structured (preferably non hierarchical) ways. What else is something like an Oratorio or Concert Mass if not that?
I agree, but I don’t really see ritual as inextricable from religious hierarchy, and in many cases it’s used as a method to attain mystical or divine experiences which are integral in bringing about the positive perspectives associated with spiritual/religious practice. Mediate was probably not the right word to use in this case, perhaps dictate or interpret would have more accurately described what I was trying to convey. An example that comes to mind might be a shaman leading an ayahuasca ceremony through drumming and singing which could be seen as mediating an experience, however it’s more from the stance of a guide, as opposed to an authority imposing dogma or predetermined ways of conceptualising such experiences. As long as power over others is not derived from some kind of spiritual hierarchy I’ve got no problem with how people choose to practice their religious beliefs.
This is a very good take