Spirituality Studies 45 Arik Segev 2 Seeking Wisdom: Cultural and Existential Context There is always a gap between the human potential for wisdom and its actual status, a gap that ethically demands reduction. In Plato’s Apology (1966), Socrates urges the citizens of Athens to divert their attention from material wealth, money, their body’s images, and social honor and power, and instead cultivate their souls and wisdom. In his Ethics, Book 10, Aristotle (2009) calls for a life attuned to the divine element within us, even though such a life is beyond our natural inclinations and demands resistance to society’s call not to pursue it. And Einstein (1936) compares truth to a gleaming marble buried in desert sand, demanding our constant attention and the work of cleaning and disclosing it; otherwise, it vanishes under the sand. This timeless existential and cultural mission may have become more complex in recent decades because of modern approaches’ unease with the idea of a mind-independent ethical reality (see various approaches on this issue, such as Ayer 1952; Foucault 1980; Dawkins 1976; MacIntyre 1984; Shafer-Landau 2003; Parfit 2011; Huemer 2008; Romero et al. 2022). However, as demonstrated by MacIntyre (1984, 1988), Shafer-Landau (2003), Huemer (2008), and Parfit (2011), the concept of a mind-independent ethical reality provides a robust foundation for the ideas of truth and wisdom. Without it, ethics is whatever individuals or cultures believe it to be, making all beliefs seem equally wise and thus undermining the very concept of wisdom. This philosophical transcendental argument is further developed in the next methodological section. Another challenge lies in the non-sensual nature of ethical meaning itself. We cannot see or touch it, and our sensory experiences dominate our attention and perception. Additionally, our language may both aid and mislead us, serving worldly interests but not always being suited to the pursuit of wisdom (Steinsaltz 2025, 16). Accordingly, we may distinguish two modes of attention: (1) spatiotemporal attention, which is a natural, immediate, worldly, semi-educated mode of attention mainly focused on personal interests; and (2) spiritual attention, which is an existentially educated (or on the road there) mode that requires effort, devotion, and practice to perceive the subtler, quieter dimensions of Being. The spiritual mode of attention seeks transformative educational encounters with the true meaning of Being, regardless of self-interest. Such encounters will hopefully reorient us toward a wiser life. While such a path may seem opposed to worldly interests, it ultimately complements them (see Segev 2023).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUwMDU5Ng==