The phrase “atheist spirituality” may seem rather paradoxical at first. In practice, both atheists and theists object to it. Atheists would prefer to be called naturalists – in order to emphasize their connection with a specific tradition and interpretation of the world, and avoid being equated only with the denial of theism. They will be willing to deny the existence of any spiritual element, and thus deny the meaningfulness of religious language. It is worth stressing that this does not apply (...) to all atheists. A new form of spirituality suggested by Francophone philosophers concerns first of all the resignation from a faith about a transcendent God, which is substituted with an undefined sacrum in immanence. New forms of spirituality are becoming a popular alternative to religious spirituality today. However, traditional and new spiritualities should not be treated as separate sets, as they do not necessarily compete with each other. Systems of spiritual development related to specific denominations will always provide inspiration even for atheist spirituality. The latter can indicate that apart from religion, there is also a spirituality that can develop in a person. Nihilism is not the only alternative to religion, as sometimes the defenders of the old religious order try to show. Atheist spirituality can sometimes refer to realities that are rich and enhancing. (shrink)

Celem artykułu jest przeanalizowanie specyficznego rozumienia współczesnego ateizmu, który 1) powstał we francuskim środowisku filozoficznym w XX i XXI wieku; 2) łączy w sobie krytykę religii (mniej czy bardziej radykalną) z pozytywną propozycją zastąpienia tradycyjnej duchowości religijnej duchowością ateistyczną. Celem badań nad taką duchowością jest weryfikacja następujących hipotez badawczych: 1) „nowa duchowość” jest propozycją alternatywną dla tradycyjnych „duchowości religijnych”, adresowaną do ludzi o przekonaniach ateistycznych; 2) nowa „świecka duchowość” w wielu aspektach jest zbieżna z duchowością religijną, zasadnicza różnica pojawia się (...) w kwestiach rozumienia nieśmiertelności człowieka i sposobu przezwyciężania lęku przed śmiercią; 3) „duchowość ateistyczna”, jako uzupełnienie krytyki postaw religijnych, może przyczynić się do konwersji osób tradycyjnie religijnych i przyjęcia przez nich duchowości, która nie odwołuje się do osobowej Transcendencji. Badania zostaną przeprowadzone na podstawie krytycznej analizy tekstów czterech francuskich myślicieli: M. Onfray’a, L. Ferry’ego, M. Gaucheta i A. Comte-Sponville’a. French atheist sprituality The purpose of the article is the analysis of a specific understanding of contemporary atheism, which 1) arose in the French philosophical circles in the 20th and 21st century; 2) combines a critique of religion (more or less radical) with a positive proposal of replacing traditional religious spirituality with an atheist spirituality. The goal of this research is to verify the following hypotheses: 1) a “new spirituality” is an proposal alternative to traditional “religious spiritualities”, addressing atheits; 2) this new “secular spirituality” is in many aspects similar to religious spirituality, with its difference being the new ways of understanding immortality and the ways of overcoming the fear of death; 3) “atheist spirituality”, as a support for the criticque of religious positions, may encourage traditionally religious people to accept a spirituality that requires no relation to personalized Transcendence.Research will be conducted on the base of a critical analysis of the sources of four French thinkers: M. Onfray, L. Ferry, M. Gauchet and A. Comte-Sponville. (shrink)

A new form of ethics suggested by the Francophone philosopher M. Onfray concerns, first of all, the resignation from faith in a transcendent God, which is substituted with an undefined sacrum in immanence. This new form of ethics is, today, becoming a popular alternative to religious ethics. However, traditional, and new ethics should not be treated as separate sets, as they do not necessarily compete with each other. Systems of spiritual development related to specific denominations will always provide inspiration even (...) for atheists’ ethics. The latter can indicate that, apart from religion, there is also a spirituality that can develop in a person. Nihilism is not the only alternative to religion, as sometimes the defenders of the old religious order try to show. (shrink)