Non-Religious Spiritualities: conceptual challenges

Main Article Content

Carlos Eduardo Brandão Calvani

Abstract

The article presupposes that the term “spirituality”, originally proper to the theological literature, no longer belongs only to this field, and is now widely used in different areas of knowledge. The essay also says that, even within the theological and religious studies, there has never been clarity as to the meaning of “spirituality”, which eventually became a vague and imprecise term, invoked in different situations and in need of a deeper theoretical reflection able to point its history, its development and multiple applications. The vagueness around this concept is increased when “spirituality” is used along with the expression “non-religious”, causing more difficulties of understanding even in the field of religious studies. After delving into these conceptual challenges, the article points to the need for a comprehensive review of the literature in order to identify similarities with other areas of knowledge in recent decades that have progressively absorbed this concept, particularly the fields of arts, psychology, business administration, organizational studies, neuroscience and health sciences. At the end, the article offers challenges and suggestions for the development of the studies around this theme among researches of Religious Sciences in Brazil that privilege interdisciplinary approaches in their research.

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How to Cite
CALVANI, Carlos Eduardo Brandão. Non-Religious Spiritualities: conceptual challenges. HORIZONTE - Journal of Studies in Theology and Religious Sciences, Belo Horizonte, v. 12, n. 35, p. 658–687, 2014. DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2014v12n35p658. Disponível em: https://periodicos.pucminas.br/horizonte/article/view/P.2175-5841.2014v12n35p658. Acesso em: 3 sep. 2025.
Section
Artigos/Articles: Dossiê/Dossier
Author Biography

Carlos Eduardo Brandão Calvani, Universidade Federal de Sergipe

Professor-efetivo na UFS