Kaj_Sotala comments on 2014 Survey Results - Less Wrong

87 Post author: Yvain 05 January 2015 07:36PM

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Comment author: Kaj_Sotala 04 January 2015 12:51:16PM 9 points [-]

"Spiritual" doesn't necessarily imply a belief in anything supernatural: as Wikipedia puts it,

Since the 19th century spirituality is often separated from religion, and has become more oriented on subjective experience and psychological growth. It may refer to almost any kind of meaningful activity or blissful experience, but without a single, widely-agreed definition.

I've sometimes marked myself in the "atheist and spiritual" category in the surveys, though not always since I've been a little unsure of what exactly is meant by it. When I have, I've taken "spiritual" to refer to practices like engaging in meditation (possibly with the intention of seeing through the illusion of the self), seeking to perceive a higher meaning in everything that one does, enjoyment of ritual, cultivation of empathy towards other people, looking to connect with nature, etc.

Comment author: Tenoke 04 January 2015 01:36:49PM *  2 points [-]

I'm sceptical that this interpretation makes sense in a question about religious views, but I guess it may explain it.

Comment author: Kaj_Sotala 04 January 2015 07:41:56PM 5 points [-]

A question about religious views seems like the perfect place to signal that you're not religious but still like some of the things that are commonly associated with religion.