From: jimruttshow8596
Introduction to Religio
The term “Religio” is used to describe the underlying, primal functionality pointed to by spirituality, distinct from specific religious creeds or metaphysical claims [01:00:54]. It is viewed as deeper than conceptual, normative, or experiential understanding [01:00:07]. The choice of the term “Religio” is deliberate, reflecting its etymological origin meaning “binding” [01:00:54]. This focus on binding captures the idea of how individuals are integrally connected to themselves, their bodies, and the world [01:00:50].
John Vervaeke’s use of “religio” aims to capture the deep functionality of what was previously sought in religion, particularly in response to the “God is dead” proclamation by Nietzsche [01:04:00]. This perspective suggests that phenomena like sacredness were always fundamentally about these binding and meaning-making processes, rather than exclusively about supernatural or divine beings [01:04:31].
Components of Religio
Religio, as an underlying process, encompasses several core features often associated with spirituality:
- Primordiality It is deeper than the conceptual and pre-conceptual, prior to beliefs and propositions [01:00:02], making it phenomenologically mysterious [01:00:12].
- Transactivity It refers to the dynamic coupling of an individual with the world, leading to a sense of connectedness [00:58:27] [00:59:40].
- Self-Transcendence This refers to the human capacity for growth and qualitative development, leading to moments of insight and deeper understanding [00:58:03] [00:59:15].
- Saffiential Dimensions Religio affords both the cultivation of wisdom and the potential for self-deception and foolishness [00:58:32] [01:00:38].
- Mattering It fundamentally connects an individual to themselves, the world, and other people, contributing to a sense of purpose, depth, and coherence in life [00:17:37] [00:59:47].
Religio is closely tied to the concept of relevance realization, which is seen as the underlying mechanism for making sense of the world [00:58:51]. The processes of relevance realization generate and imply the features associated with religio [01:02:30]. The emphasis on religio reflects a move away from reducing religious experience solely to propositional beliefs (credo) [01:02:59].
Secular Wonder
Secular wonder, as articulated by Paul Cilliers, describes how our sense of meaningfulness functions as an atmosphere rather than a discrete object [01:08:47]. We exist within this atmosphere, breathing and being shaped by it [01:09:03]. It refracts and patterns how light is perceived, influencing our perception of the world [01:09:15].
We become aware of this atmospheric meaningfulness not through focal cognition, but through states like moods or wonder itself [01:09:34]. Wonder is distinct from curiosity; it’s a “how does this all hang together” question, an attempt to appreciate the process by which things become meaningful without necessarily expecting a definitive answer [01:09:51]. It is an “atmospheric attempt to jump outside” of our relevance realization machinery [01:09:57].
Secular wonder represents a process of “transframing,” where an individual opens up their agent-arena relationship, realizing that both they and the world could be more and fit together in previously unrealized ways [01:18:17] [01:19:02]. This opening can escalate from wonder to awe, fostering a sense of continuous flow and transformation [01:19:17].
The Role of Psychotechnologies and Symbols
The concept of religio is deeply intertwined with psychotechnologies – practices that significantly alter the parameters of relevance realization [01:19:59]. Just as literacy profoundly affects cognitive abilities, psychotechnologies like mindfulness practice, mystical experiences, or psychedelics can impact this relevance realization flow state, potentially nudging general intelligence and enhancing the experience of religio [00:50:57] [01:21:04].
Rich symbols play a crucial role in both secular wonder and religio. Unlike simple signs, these symbols are “metaphors that allow us to hold something in mind… that can’t otherwise be held in mind” [01:34:15] [01:36:36]. They provoke insight by altering our “salience landscaping,” making certain features more prominent (e.g., “Sam is a pig” highlights certain characteristics of Sam) [01:33:52].
Symbols like the scales of justice or the American flag not only represent abstract concepts but also re-engage and “exapt” underlying cognitive machinery, allowing for a deeper, more engaged relationship with that concept [01:35:00] [01:36:36]. However, this power also carries danger, as symbols can become idols when their “translucency” is lost, leading to reactive, foolish participation rather than wise engagement (e.g., the crusades and the cross) [01:38:09] [01:39:20].
The Need for a New Framework
The meaning crisis, intensified by the failure of pseudo-religious ideologies like Nazism and Marxism, highlights the need for new ways to cultivate meaning [00:04:04] [00:08:04]. Traditional models, like the Augustinian framework of narrative, normative, and nomological order, provided stability and meaning for centuries [00:14:56]. While effective, they cannot be simply replicated in a world that has moved beyond their underlying assumptions [00:18:34].
The concept of religio and secular wonder, therefore, offers a path forward: to understand and cultivate the deep, pre-conceptual, and affective processes of meaning-making that historically underpin what we call spirituality and religion [01:29:39]. This endeavor aims to provide a robust framework for meaning that is adaptable to modern challenges, similar to the goal of the religion that’s not a religion project [01:29:36]. This modern approach seeks to move beyond the limitations of the Enlightenment’s focus solely on objective knowledge, recognizing the vital importance of meaning and purpose that it overlooked [01:30:24].